


Pieces of Me

by spikes_heart



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-03-08 16:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18898387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spikes_heart/pseuds/spikes_heart
Summary: In a bid to create the perfect Super-Soldier, what if the Initiative went a little bit further than what was common knowledge?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A rather large chunk of familiar dialogue is from the episode As You Were, written by Douglas Petrie and also leans heavily on the original transcript. If you recognize it from the show, it’s not mine – I’ve just bent it to my will.
> 
> Warning! Please note that if you’re a fan of Riley Finn, this fic might not be your thing.
> 
> Beta’d by: the Danerys of grammer – stalwartsandall, and the uber supportive eagle-eyed Twinkles. Any mistakes you find now are due to my post-beta fiddling.

Spike was on his way back to his crypt when he heard something that pricked at his predator’s instincts; the shrill cries of a young child in distress. Habit – after all, what business was it of his – had him continuing on his way. But all it took was a few seconds (and a flash of a very disappointed blonde in his cranium) for him to roll his eyes and change direction.

“What the bloody hell is she turning me into?” he muttered as he stomped through the cemetery; hurrying, but not.

He found the child near one of the mourner’s benches. After checking the surrounding area in case the little nipper was bait for something nasty, he stepped forward for a closer look. The kid had dirty blond curls and red-rimmed eyes, and was crying as though its heart would break. Couldn’t be much more than two years old, he reckoned.

“There, there, platelet,” he crooned, wiping the tears from the child’s eyes. “Wanna tell old Spike what you’re doing out in the middle of a cemetery all on your lonesome?” He scooped the child into his arms, looking it over for any injuries but finding nothing wrong.

“Leavin’ you here’s not an option,” Spike mused aloud, relieved that the child had stopped crying. His poor sensitive ears weren’t made for the shrill decibels children were capable of producing. “Lots of bad oogedy-boogedys around these parts. Can’t rightly take you to the coppers, either. One look at this gorgeous mug and they’re likely to toss me in a cell for snatching you myself.”

There was something about the kid that tugged at the corners of Spike’s memory, but he shrugged it off. Seen one sprog, seen ‘em all, he figured.

“So,” he said, bouncing the little one in his arms. “You got a name?” He wasn’t expecting anything, so was rather surprised when the child actually answered.

“Dan’l,” the kid piped up.

“Daniel?” Spike repeated. “And how old are you, Daniel?”

The baby held up two fingers. “This many.”

Only one more question to go, Spike thought, realizing he was reaching the limits of the bitlet’s language skills. “Are you a boy or a girl, snack-size?”

“BOY!” he shrieked, thumping his fists on Spike’s shoulders.

Spike had to laugh at the little boy’s bravado. Then, for one odd moment, he thought about Drusilla and how she would view the little one as nothing but a nummy treat. Shaking his head with the bittersweet nostalgia of it all, Spike made a decision.

“Gonna take you home with me, Daniel,” he said, chucking the little boy under the chin. “Slayer’ll be by eventually an’ she’ll figure out what to do with you.”

The little boy clapped his hands together, and Spike headed back to his crypt with the kid in tow.

***

Buffy looked up from the counter at the Doublemeat Palace, fully expecting to see yet another in the long line of Sunnydale residents who cared nothing about what they put in their mouths. Instead she was met with…

“Sorry to drop in on you like this, Buffy.”

Riley! “It’s you,” she said, like a slack-jawed yokel.

“It’s me,” he said, shrugging uncomfortably.

“You’re here.” Why was she turning into such an idiot? She of the stellar quippage reduced to monosyllables.

“I know.”

“And were you always this tall?” she asked, looking up and cringing inwardly. Her conversation skills weren’t getting any better, were they?

“Look.” he said, leaning in over the counter between them. “This isn’t the way I wanted it. But something’s come up… something big. We don’t have much time. You understand?”

Buffy nodded slowly. “Not a word you’ve said so far,” she admitted.

“Right. I should have known… anticipated,” he said, hesitating before stating the obvious once again. “You’re working.”

“Well, just the counter,” she said, spreading her arms to show her domain. “Not the grill anymore.”

“I want to explain; I just don’t have time. I’ve been up for forty-eight hours straight tracking someone and I’ve followed them here, to Sunnydale.”

“My hat has a cow.” Why on earth did she say that?

Riley sighed. “I know that I’m putting you on the spot, showing up like this, but… but you know, here we are. I need the best. I need you, Buffy. Can you help me?”

“Hellooo, Buffy?” Todd, her manager, stuck his face into her personal space. “People are waiting.”

“I see my husband has been monopolizing your time.”

Buffy turned back around to see a tall, thin woman – her brunette hair pulled back into a low bun – staring lovingly at Riley.

“H-husband?”

The woman smiled softly. “Ri, you spend all this time talking to her and don’t happen to mention that you’re married? And that we’re here for a very important reason?” She turned to Buffy with a ‘forgive him, he’s male’ look.

“Uh… Buffy, I’d like to introduce to Sam… Samantha, my wife.” He scratched his head in that bashful way she remembered... way back when she used to think it was cute. Not so much anymore.

Here she was, busy reliving the past warm-fuzzies, and he was a married man. With a wife. Who was here. Standing in front of her.

“Summers!” Todd’s screechy voice was working on her last nerve. “Is there a problem here?”

“Look, Buffy…” Riley said, ignoring the irate manager. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important. Can you come with us?”

Buffy took off her Doublemeat hat, grabbed her coat from under the counter and joined the couple.

As they headed towards the exit, Todd tried to stop her. “Buffy, uh… Buffy! Wait! Buffy!”

“What’s that guy’s deal?” Riley asked as they kept a brisk pace.

Buffy waved her hand in the Doublemeat’s general direction. “Todd? He’s got just enough authority to make my life miserable.”

“You sure this is all right? I don’t want you to get fired.”

“From the Doublemeat Palace?” Buffy’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “Tougher than you’d think. So… you’re tracking a demon?”

“Not exactly, although at times…”

“Ri, stop! You’ll give the girl the wrong idea,” Sam interrupted. “We want her help; she deserves the truth.”

Abashed, Riley stopped and turned to face Buffy squarely. “We’re looking for… our son,” he said, barely meeting her eyes. “We were here on assignment, and he was snatched out of our hotel room.”

Son. _Son?_ “Son?” _Eloquence much, Buffy?_

“His name is Daniel and he’s two years old,” Sam gushed, reaching into her pocket for her wallet. “See? The most adorable little guy, don’t you think?”

Buffy couldn’t wrap her head around this development. Not only was Riley married (with a wife!) but they already had a two year old baby. Had he cheated on her? Had he forgotten about her so soon?

“Let me explain,” Riley pleaded at Buffy’s confused expression. “We adopted Daniel through the Initiative. He was found in one of their cleanup missions in Belize. His parents had been killed and he was left defenseless and alone. Sam and I brought him home and we fell in love with him.”

“How long have you been married?” she asked, trying to keep herself focused.

“Almost four months,” Sam said with a smile. “Daniel was an unexpected blessing.”

“So, you-you guys do this often, you know, the whole ... husband-and-wife tag-team demon fighting thing?”

“Yeah, it's what brought us together.”

“And now you’re here?” Buffy really wanted to do nothing more than slink away from this… marriedness in front of her. It was almost too much for her to bear, especially after what she’d been doing with…

“Yes,” Riley said, slowly, as if talking to a brain-damaged child. “As I said, we’re looking for our son. Our babysitter was of no help; she was knocked out from behind and didn’t see who took Daniel. There was this scribbled message,” he said, taking out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handing to her.

“You kill ours, we take yours,” Buffy read aloud. “This is it? Nothing else?”

Sam shook her head. “Nothing else. There were no signs of a struggle and thankfully, there was no blood – so we’re hoping he’s unharmed.”

“That’s not a lot to go on,” Buffy pointed out gently. “He could be anywhere, with anyone or anything. You’ve killed a lot of demons, Riley. I’m sure there are plenty who hold a grudge.”

“We’re hoping that whatever HST has Daniel is still nearby. He’s only been gone since this morning.”

“And you’re just coming to me now?” Buffy was incredulous.

“We’ve been looking for him, Buffy,” Sam said, “When Ri mentioned that you were much more familiar with this town’s demonic element than we could ever hope to be, I suggested we ask for your help.”

Looking into the woman’s face, Buffy wanted to hate her on principle, but the pain of loss tinged with desperation in her eyes made it impossible. The bottom line here was that a baby’s life was at stake, and that was all that mattered.

“Why don’t we hit Willy’s first,” Buffy suggested, “then troll through the cemeteries? Someone has to have heard of a missing baby.”

“Thank you!” Sam cried, pulling Buffy into her embrace. “He’s such a sweet little baby… the most loving boy one could ever hope for. We have to find him.”

Riley stood stoically silent, but Buffy could see unshed tears in his eyes.

“We’ll find him Riley… and Sam,” Buffy said, awkwardly. “We’ll scour Sunnydale from top to bottom.”

“We can hit the cemeteries and Willy’s,” Riley offered.

Buffy just nodded. Really, what more was there to say? She followed the couple to their car and headed home.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy sat in the back of Riley’s SUV, not sure what the hell she was even doing here. Riley drove, of course, while his _wife_ sat beside him.

They had a son. He’d only been out of her life for half a year… and he was married and a father to a two-year-old. Buffy was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the whole situation. How could she still be in the missing-him portion of their breakup, while he had obviously moved on?

She heard the two of them talking, but the words were just noise. Nothing penetrated her aching heart.

“So, Buffy…” Sam had turned around, her face open and friendly as she asked buffy something about the Sunnydale demon population.

It was all Buffy could do to keep from scratching her twinkling little eyes out.

Instead, she tried to stop wool-gathering and concentrate on what was wanted from her now. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, “Would you mind repeating your question?”

The woman had the temerity to look sympathetic. To Buffy, it felt like a knife in her chest.

“Sure,” Sam said. “No problem. I’m sure us showing up has thrown you for a bit of a loop. I’m sorry for that. I told Ri that it would be good to call you, first, but you know how he can be… he does what he thinks is best.”

Buffy grunted her agreement, not caring that she sounded churlish.

*****

Buffy slammed open the crypt doors as she usually did – unannounced and agitated. Spike was sitting on top of the stone coffin, reading a book.

“Buffy. Hey now,” he said, putting down his book as he pushed off the coffin, landing on his feet. “If I’d-a known you were coming, I’d-a baked a cake.”

“I need information,” she said, taking off her black gloves, part of her new, Riley-supplied high-tech gear.

“Well, I suppose I could be helpful,” he said looking amused. “If the price is right.”

She put her gloves down. “I need to find a guy. Dealer – calls himself The Doctor.”

“Human?”

“His traffic isn’t.”

“Clock ticking?”

“Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it soon.” Buffy felt uneasy. Spike was up to something, she was sure of it.

Looking her up and down, he continued with a purr in his voice. “Soon, but not now?”

Buffy just stared at him for a moment. What on earth was he getting at? She took a couple of steps closer to the vampire who was staring at her with barely disguised lust in his bright blue eyes.

“Tell me you want me,” she said, so softly that if he weren’t a vampire, he would have missed it.

“I always want you. In point of fact –”

“Shut up.” She moved in closer, as if to kiss him, but wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to the coffin. On her back with Spike on top of her, she began unbuttoning his shirt. Spike began to pull on the fasteners of her bullet-proof vest. She stared at his face, pushing the partially unbuttoned shirt down his shoulders, then used it to pull him down for a kiss.

*****

Buffy awoke to the sound of the crypt door once again slamming open, and took stock of her situation. She and Spike were lying on the coffin, only partially covered in blankets. They were both obviously nude. She grasped a blanket to cover her breasts and an exposed leg.

Spike raised his head at the ruckus and chuckled, the sound low down and dirty to her ears.

He propped himself up on his elbows and said, “Well, looky here. I don’t usually use the word delicious…” Riley stood rigid in front of them, a large gun in his hand aimed in their direction. “… but I gotta wager this little tableau must sting a bit, eh? Me and your former? Must kill. What can I say – the girl needs a little monster in her man.”

Buffy ducked her head, awash in shame at being found almost in flagrante delicto.

“That’s not why I’m here… Doctor.”

Buffy gasped, turning from one man to the other. “Oh, god!” And got up, clutching the blanket closer to her naked body.

Spike sighed. “Here I thought we’d run you out of town, mate.”

Buffy crouched down, gathering her clothing from the floor and scowling at Spike, she stepped out of Riley’s line of vision to get dressed.

“Last time I saw you,” Spike continued, “if memory serves, you were getting the juice sucked out of you by some undead ladies of very questionable reputation.” He sat up quickly, with his knees pulled up and open, and smiled as Riley averted his eyes.

“Now be a good tin soldier and, uh…” He made a shooing motion with his hand.

“Where are they... Doctor?” Riley’s strident tones rang out in the crypt.

“Where are what, and why do you keep calling me that?” Spike asked, his patience obviously being tried past breaking point. He scrounged around the floor until he found his pants and began to put them on.

“Glad to be back in Sunnydale,” Riley noted. “The locals all speak English, and I know who to beat for information.” He glared at Spike with undisguised hatred. “It’s all brought me back here.”

“Look, crew-cut,” Spike retorted as he fastened his belt. “She’s not your bint anymore. You have a bloody wife, she tells me. Besides, if I can speak frankly, she always had a little thing for me, even when she was shagging you.”

“Nice. That’s very distracting,” Riley spat back, walking closer. “Now tell me, before I get unprofessional…” He pointed the gun directly at Spike, “… where are the eggs, Spike?”

“Eggs?” Spike scoffed. “You’re off your nut. It must be those drugs they were keeping you on. I did warn you-”

“Okay. We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the fatal way.” Riley interrupted whatever the vampire was about to say with a punch to the face, just as Buffy reappeared, fully dressed.

“Where are the damned eggs?” Riley demanded.

“Look – The Doctor – it can’t be Spike.”

“No need to defend me, luv.”

This time, it was Buffy’s turn to punch him in the face.

“Look, i-it can’t be, okay,” she pleaded, turning to face Riley. “He-he’s too incompetent. It’s just Spike, Riley.

“Right. Deadly… amoral… opportunistic. Or have you forgotten?”

Buffy glared at her ex, unable to find the words to answer him. She turned away in shame.

“I’m taking this place apart until I find that nest,” Riley insisted.

“Over my dead body,” Spike spat, staring back at Riley with disgust.

“I’ve seen enough of your dead body for one night, thanks.”

Using the barrel of his gun to shove Spike out of the way, Riley pushed past the irate vampire.

Spike grabbed his shoulder. “You’re not gonna –”

The rest of Spike’s statement was rendered moot, as the cries of a baby rang out in the crypt.

“Is there a baby in your bedroom?” Buffy asked, her voice incredulous.

Riley’s eyes widened. “You takin’ to keeping snacks, Hostile 17?

The panic on Spike’s face told Buffy more than anything else. “Whose baby is that?” she demanded, the enormity of the betrayal starting to sink in. “Why is it here?”

“Now luv,” Spike tried to diffuse the situation. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I was actually coming to you later. Was just waiting-”

“In all the time I’ve been here, you didn’t even hint that there was a helpless baby in your crypt. Where did you steal him from? No, never mind – baby first,” she said, running to the ladder leading down to the lower level.

The kid was sitting on Spike’s bed, whimpering. He looked unharmed and seriously pissed off. Making vague shushing noises, she scooped him up and clambered back up the ladder with the sniveling child in her arms.

“Daddy!” the baby squealed.

“Daniel!” Riley grabbed the baby from Buffy’s arms and rounded on Spike. “It was _you_!” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. “You kidnapped my son.” Turning to Buffy he screamed, “You’re the damned Slayer – stake the bastard and be done with it.”

Buffy felt sick to her stomach. Spike brokering demon eggs didn’t sit right with her – and why he’d kidnap a baby was even harder to fathom – but Spike did play kitten poker. Little kitties lost their lives for his enjoyment. Would Spike play for a child’s life? Would he traffic in human children?”

The evidence was whimpering loudly in Riley’s arms.

Automatically, she reached for her stake – the situation feeling entirely unreal. Riley screaming in her ear didn’t help. Nor did Spike’s look of wounded betrayal. She knew how he felt.

“Suvolte eggs not enough for you, Doctor?” Riley turned his vitriol back on Spike. “You had to make it personal? I don’t know how you found me – how you managed to sneak into my hotel room and knock out my babysitter, steal my boy. But you won’t get away with it. If Buffy won’t kill you, I will. I will fucking dance in your dust, you sick, inhuman freak!”

“You can stop calling me Doctor any time, now,” Spike insisted, looking back and forth between the furious soldier and Buffy. “I told you I had nothing to do with any damned eggs and I didn’t kidnap your kid. Found him crying alone in the cemetery on my way back to my crypt and out of the goodness of my heart, I took the little nipper in to protect him.”

Buffy couldn’t stand it anymore. She closed the distance and once more belted Spike in the nose, knocking him down in the process.

“No more games,” she threw at him.

Spike stood, his own anger sparking flecks of amber in his blue eyes. “Well, that’s bloody funny coming from you! No more games? That’s all you’ve ever done is play me. You keep playing with the rules you make up as you like. You know what I am. You’ve always known. You come to me all the same.”

“God damn it, Buffy – what’s it gonna take for you to do your job and end this once and for all?” Riley finally turned his attention to the hysterically crying little boy in his arms. “If it weren’t for Daniel, I’d have put a stake through that animal’s heart myself.”

She couldn’t think, not with the noise and testosterone echoing around the crypt.

“Riley, just take your son and go. He’s upset enough as it is.” She took a breath and said firmly, “I’ll deal with Spike on my own.”


	3. Chapter 3

Spike’s temper finally broke once they were alone in the crypt. “You bitch! You came to me practically gagging for it. And I gave you what you asked for. We made love, for a change. We didn’t fuck, we didn’t rut like animals. We took things slow, and gentle-like – no blood, no pain. How can you look me in the face a handful of hours later and believe I would stoop to kidnapping the little bitlet?”

“You’re a vampire, Spike,” Buffy said because, really, that explained it all. “You have no moral compass.”

“I know right from wrong,” he yelled. “I just don’t usually give a shit. But you claim to know me so well – tell me why you’re so sure I’ve turned into a nefarious child peddler.”

Buffy took a deep breath. She needed to think but her thoughts were zig-zagging back and forth between what she suspected and what she knew from experience.

“It’s not like I don’t have reason!” she exclaimed. “That lame story you were telling Dawn – about the child in the coal bin. The one you claim lived happily ever after you fished her out. I call bullshit there, Spike. We both know how that story really ended. And… during Halloween, when everyone turned into their costumes and the kids were all mini-demons. You were happily roaming the streets with them, before trying to kill me.”

“You know what I am and what I’ve done,” he began. “That can’t be changed. But-”

She cut him off. And you wonder why I would ever question your intentions towards a child?”

“More pertinent is what I _haven’t_ done ever since Captain Cardboard and his crew defanged me.” Spike rolled his eyes. “And you know how I feel about your kid sis. We were thick as thieves when you were… gone. You had asked me to protect her and I said I would, until the end of the wolrd. That’s me. This child-trafficking monster you’ve made me out to be doesn’t exist.”

“I-I…” the words were stuck in Buffy’s throat. Spike pled his case sincerely. He wasn’t acting cagey. And she knew what a crap liar he was. 

“Look, Spike,” she tried. “None of this makes sense. If you found the kid in the cemetery, why didn’t you take him to the police?” Buffy knew the words were foolish as soon as they’d left her mouth. ID-less Spike and the police were not mixy things. They’d take one look at him with a strange child and Spike’d most likely end up in jail under suspicion.

She just deflated, no longer able to give any real credence to the accusations. Spike might not be ‘good’ in any sense of the word, but he was an ‘honorable bad.’ He also wore his heart on his sleeve. If he felt something, you knew it by sight – and right now, the look on his face was one of offended outrage.

“O-okay. Say I believe you,” she offered, sitting down on the sarcophagus – the site of their recent assignation. “I don’t believe you’re The Doctor. You don’t usually act as someone else’s middleman.”

“Damned right.”

“As for the little boy, he looked healthy enough,” she said, holding out a tentative olive branch.

“Outside of being frightened by all the shouting, the little nipper was probably dirty and hungry,” Spike allowed. “Not exactly set up here for child-rearing. He was scared and alone, Slayer. I swear by all that’s unholy that I had planned to bring him to you, but as usual, you buggered my plans by showing up.”

Buffy raised a manicured eyebrow at that.

“Not that I wasn’t thrilled that you came to me… That you wanted me,” he said, quickly. “At least I thought you wanted me. Wanna tell me what that was really about?”

Buffy blushed, but felt she owed him an explanation, after the false accusations. “Riley blindsided me at work,” she admitted. “He came in, all full of swagger and the promise of new adventure – followed by a wife! And a missing son. Less than six months after he broke up with me…”

“Git didn’t know what he had, love. That’s on him, not you.”

“I wanted… I needed… I-”

“You came to me ‘cause you knew I loved you. ‘Cause you knew I’d make you feel beautiful – wanted,” Spike seemed to realize.

“I-I’m sorry,” she murmured. Using people to make herself feel good wasn’t her style. It was ugly and, well, just ugly, and beneath her.

“Stop it, love,” Spike murmured. “Don’t apologize for comin’ to me. I’ve told you before that you can count on me; I’m here for you.”

“Even when I’m not here for you?” she asked, looking at him with watery eyes.

“Even when.”

“So,” she said, swallowing her incipient tears, “what are we going to do about Riley?”

*****

Riley sat in his hotel room, watching as Sam fussed and cooed over Daniel. The baby been bathed, changed and fed, and was now ready for bed.

Sam cuddled the sleepy boy in her arms, and it was all Riley could do to hold back his disgust watching her dote on a half-breed.

Not that Daniel evinced any outward sign that he was anything other than a normal child. In fact, it was hard to credit that he was the spawn of that degenerate demon, Hostile 17… Spike. Even harder to accept that Daniel was Buffy’s child as well.

When Riley first found out the Initiative was dabbling in genetics, he was appalled. Who were they to play God? And why the hell – if they _had_ to play – were the playing using that piece of shit’s seed?

But when they actually succeeded in creating the half-human embryo, Riley realized it was a golden opportunity; a chance to make Spike pay for busting up his relationship with Buffy.

It had been easy to secure the child after it was born. He’d wooed and married Sam, leading her to believe that his love was deep and abiding, that she had mended his broken heart. He made her feel wanted, and she was putty in his hands.

He talked up his Iowa upbringing and family values; brought up his desire to have a family as soon as possible. Then. Hinted at how cruel it was to leave the baby in the hands of uncaring scientists; waxed lyrical about the best interests of the child and the benefits of being raised by loving parents.

Sam fell for it hook, line and sinker and agreed to adopt it. With their credentials and seniority, the Initiative had no qualms about handing over the kid. Daniel Aaron Finn – named after both their fathers – became theirs.

The Suvolte’s escape had been easy enough to engineer. Then a little bit of bribery had greased the tracks for some eggs to be planted in the hostile’s crypt, and for rumors of Spike’s trafficking to be spread far and wide. HSTs, like all simple creatures, lived for gossip.

Where the planted eggs were now was anybody’s guess. Riley only hoped that whoever had them knew enough to keep them refrigerated, or there would be hell to pay when they hatched. True, they weren’t the carnivorous Suvolte’s eggs. They were actually Grosnaks – similar in appearance, but far less dangerous – but they would still be destructive if they hatched hungry.

Riley shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it now. Eventually the eggs would either hatch, or be destroyed. Either way, they were no longer his problem.

As for Daniel, when he’d left the boy in Restfield and hidden behind an adjacent crypt, Riley had assumed that, one way or another, he’d never see the boy alive again. There was the distinct possibility that a ransom demon would attack the child – Sunnydale was like that – and, if so, Riley had plans in place to lay the blame for it on Spike.

But, as luck would have it, Daniel’s cries were the perfect bait for Riley’s intended target. Timing was everything, and this time the trap snapped shut as planned.

He was somewhat surprised to see the care and concern the hostile had shown the boy as he quieted his cries, but in the end, Riley was sure his true nature would reveal itself, and Daniel would end up as a midnight snack.

After all, the behavior modification chip was only a prototype, and its expiration date had long since passed.

Luck had been on his side. It was fortuitous really that Buffy was there when he busted in on the vampire, unannounced – saved him the bother of relaying the story of Spike’s dastardly deeds.

Although, on the downside, he had to work hard to keep his cool at the sight of his ex-girlfriend lying naked next to that thing, their actions obvious in their aftermath. He didn’t want her back; the thought of going after a demon’s sloppy seconds made him nauseous, but it still pricked at his pride that she would rather fuck a demon than work out the relationship he’d once craved beyond everything else – even his health.

Anyway, he had Sam. And Sam was sweet – pretty in a wholesome way, and totally in love with him. That made her easy to manipulate, unlike Buffy – whose pig-headedness tended to shut him out.

“Come to bed, Ri,” Sam called from the bedroom of their suite. “Our little boy is safely settled down in his crib for the night and it’s time to celebrate his return.”

With a suppressed shudder, Riley stood and slowly walked towards his wife. He didn’t know (or particularly care) if his relationship to Sam would survive his scheming. He wasn’t quite done with the vampire yet. If Buffy didn’t take him out this time, he’d have to push his plans further. Something had to shake the stars out of her eyes regarding Hostile 17 but, at this point, he was damned if he knew what that was.

He was a soldier – he could do his duty – even while his skin crawled with the need for vengeance.

He headed for the bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

What to wear? Buffy f pulled outfit after outfit out from her closet and tossed them on her bed. It should be simple after all, she’d only been dressing herself for the past eighteen or so years and yet the reject pile continued to grow.

“Why am I stressing over what to wear,” she asked her four walls. “It’s not like I have to impress Riley anymore, right?”

“What’s your damage?” Dawn asked, appearing in the doorway. “Oooh, I know – you want to make Sam look like a schlub so Riley will remember what he’s missing.”

“You’re such a child,” Buffy snapped.

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one trying to shove my best self at my ex-boyfriend and his wife,” Dawn retorted.

Ignoring her sister, Buffy held up a pair of black leather pants and a red halter-top. Finally satisfied, she dug a pair of black demi-boots with a chunky stacked heel out of her trashed closet.

“Good choice,” Dawn commented. “Spike’s favorite colors.”

Buffy very nearly dropped the pieces like hot potatoes, but calmed herself and shooed Dawn out of the room to get dressed. Her choice of outfit had _nothing_ to do with Spike. She just wanted to look her best, is all.

She glanced at the clock and got busy. Riley was due to pick her up in a couple of hours, and she still needed time to do her makeup and style her hair.

*****

As soon as she climbed into the car, Riley demanded in clipped tones, “Is he dust yet?”

“Good morning to you, too, Riley,” she said, fastening her seatbelt and trying to maintain her calm. “I’m taking care of things.”

“So once again you’re shirking your duty and letting that scum live.” Statement, not question.

“You know, you’re not my superior officer, issuing orders that I have to jump to obey,” Buffy said curtly. “You came to me for help, not the other way around. So I suggest you drop the dog-with-a-bone crap and try being civil.”

Riley took a deep breath, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove towards the hotel. “I’m sorry, Buffy,” he said, slowly – softly. “You have to understand I’m still upset about my son, and the missing clutch of eggs. I really didn’t get much sleep last night. I don’t mean to be short with you.”

“Well, that’s something, at least,” she muttered. “How is Daniel after his ordeal? And how is Sam?”

“Daniel slept like the baby he is – untroubled. Sam is just relieved to have him back with us. But,” he said, voice growing steely once more, “I still have a mission to accomplish. And I know you said on the phone that Hostile 17 isn’t behind the kidnapping, but you don’t exactly have a good track record for understanding the threat posed by-” 

_“Spike_ ,” she emphasized, “might be an amoral, soulless demon, but he’s not a good liar – especially when he’s trying. I can pretty much guarantee he had nothing to do with snatching your son.” Taking another calming breath, she continued, “You might wanna try being grateful that he found Daniel and kept him safe from harm.”

“I refuse to thank that _creature_ for anything,” Riley grumbled.

“That’s on you then,” Buffy retorted.

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

*****

“Buffy! It’s so wonderful to see you again,” Sam greeted her at the door with Daniel in her arms. “Come in, please.”

Gone was the military gear, Sam was decked out in a simple pair of jeans and flannel shirt; her hair tied back in a low pony. _Definitely overdressed_ , Buffy thought. _Good_.

Daniel was giggling happily and it warmed Buffy’s heart to see the boy so happy, obviously where he belonged.

“May I?” she asked, reaching for the boy.

“Of course!” Sam happily placed Daniel in Buffy’s waiting arms. “Someone else should have a turn. I’ve barely let him go since Ri brought him home last night.”

“I promised I would find him,” Riley said gruffly – the first words he’d had spoken since midway through the car ride.

“Who’s a good boy?” Buffy cooed, jiggling Daniel up and down. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Daniel looked into her eyes and Buffy who was not usually a maternal kind of gal couldn’t tear her eyes away from his stare. There was something…

“Buffy, give the boy back to his mother,” Riley said, interrupting her thoughts. “We need to check out these maps.” He pointed to the scrolls on the coffee table. “The Suvolte is tagged, so it should be relatively easy to track.”

“If the Suvolte is trackable, why did you need me?” she asked. “You can find it easier without my involvement.”

Sam smiled, putting her hand on Buffy’s shoulder. “Ri thought you wouldn’t mind backing him up; you’re more familiar with the terrain than he is. He’s told me so much about your exploits here in Sunnydale. This should be a breeze for you.”

Buffy’s back stiffened at being called _backup_ to Riley. The dude had a lot of freaking nerve!

As if sensing an imminent explosion, Riley interjected, “I didn’t mean backup, exactly,” he tried to backpedal. “It’s just that-”

“It’s fine,” Buffy said quickly before he could launch into what was sure to be a long-winded, chauvinistic explanation. “You asked for my help, and you’ve got it. I only have one demand.”

“Really?” Riley’s eyebrow pulled the scarred portion of his face taut as it rose towards his hairline in surprise.

“Really,” Buffy repeated, hands on hips with her chin jutted upwards in defiance. “You stay the hell away from my vampire. Both he and Sunnydale are under my protection. Whatever grudge you hold against him needs to be dropped.”

“You’re protecting him now?”

“Riley!” Sam’s shrill voice caused her husband to turn his attention to her.

“Spike may be a vampire, and I’m sure he’s done some unforgivable things but you need to remember the most important thing he did… He found our son alone in a cemetery and protected him overnight. He didn’t have to do that. We should both be grateful for his help.”

_I could get to like this woman_ , Buffy thought. _At least she has some reason in that head of hers_. Out loud, she said, “I’m not asking for an apology, Riley. Not to me and not even to Spike. Just that you keep your distance from him while you’re in my jurisdiction.

Tone implacable, she added, “As soon as we find this demon, and the location of these eggs you’re so worried about, you need to take your little family and go back home where you belong.”


	5. Chapter 5

The SUV pulled to a halt. There wasn’t much by way of scenery – mostly rock and some scraggly trees. They exited the vehicle and started walking in the general direction Riley’s locator beacon indicated.

“So, where’s the demon?” Buffy asked, looking around and seeing nothing in any direction.

“It’s not here,” Riley said, shrugging his shoulders.

They walked over to a fence and looked down. Wouldn’t you just know it? They were standing on top of a huge, inactive dam – the water still and silent down below. The only way to get to the bottom was covered in rough, uncut stone walls.

Buffy looked up at her companion with uncertainty. “Down we go?”

“Looks that way,” he said, fiddling around with some piece of tech on his belt.

“That’s a big first step,” Buffy said with slight trepidation in her voice, sorry that she hadn’t thought to wear the army gear. “So, Mr. Finn, got an extra jet-pack for a girl like me?”

“Sorry, fresh out of jet-packs. Looks like we’ll have to share.” He attached one end of a rappelling line to the chain-link fence. “This test line’s built for one, so if we go together, we’re not hauling any gear. Just you and me.”

“I was never big on the hardware anyway,” Buffy tossed back, hand going automatically to the stake holstered into the back of her waistband.

“Hold onto me?” Riley said, with a rakish smile.

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Let’s go, then.” Riley lifted her onto the fence.

“Ready when you are, Agent Finn,” she said, her eyes steely with determination. She put her arms around his shoulders and they started their descent.

When they reached a stone platform at the bottom, Riley detached the line from his belt.

Looking around, they ducked past a large pipe with a small trickle of water coming out. Past it, the stone ledge opened out into a wider space with a ladder against one wall.

And then demon attacked, tackling Riley from behind. He managed to throw it off and duck its swinging arm.

Buffy attempted to leap on the demon’s back, but quickly got tossed aside. Leaning against the stone wall, she watched Riley grapple with the demon for a moment and then leapt back into the fray. She managed to kick the thing off of Riley, who proceeded to punch at it, achieving little and getting hit in the process.

Annoyed, Buffy kicked at it, hoping to turn its attention to her, but after a couple of hits – the demon’s arms like pile-drivers – and she and Riley both went reeling back against the wall.

Bruised and bleeding, Riley attacked yet again, this time getting hit in the stomach and hunching over in pain.

“Riley!”

Buffy grabbed onto him, using him as leverage to lift both feet off the ground and kick the demon. This time, it fell to the ground.

Riley turned her around and pushed her up against the wall. Both were panting deeply, and staring into each other’s eyes.

At the sound of the wounded Suvolte’s roar, Riley grabbed a Taser from his belt and the Suvolte finally went down.

Buffy leapt back into action. While Riley continued to kick the demon, Buffy grabbed it by the head and twisted with all her might. The ‘snap’ sounded throughout the stone enclave as the demon slumped to the ground, dead.

“Mission accomplished?” Buffy said, panting, looking for Riley’s pleased reaction.

And not finding it.

“You killed it,” he said, kneeling down by the dead Suvolte. “That’s okay,” he said, his voice flat.

“Okay?” Buffy was non-plussed. “You guys were tracking this thing for a couple of days straight, and you… did want it dead, right?”

Riley’s expression told a different story. “I meant to tell you… there just wasn’t time. I never thought you’d be so gung-ho with the killing.”

“That’s my job, as you keep reminding me, Agent Finn. Track demon, find demon, kill demon. Especially the dangerous ones, which you went out of your way to inform me that this one was.

Riley pulled a large knife out of its sheath and opened the demon’s stomach. Thick yellow blood oozed out, puddling on the ground. “Damn,” he said with revulsion.

Buffy made a disgusted face.

“We’re too late, anyway,” he said, resigned. “It’s already out of heat.”

“Okay, not going there,” Buffy shuddered, not wanting to think about the Suvolte’s menstrual cycle. A little bit TMI for her liking. “So, how do we dispose-”

“I placed a call – Special Ops will take care of things,” Riley explained. “Now, if you don’t mind – I’ll take you home and get back to my wife.”

Buffy was fine with that. She’d had enough playing with soldiers (tech and all) to last a lifetime.

*****

“Okay, you guys,” Buffy said before the assembled Scoobies and Dawn. “Riley is coming over with his wife and son-” she got out before they erupted with questions.

“Riley has a wife?” Xander shouted. “Already?”

“And a son?” Willow exclaimed. “Wow, he works fast.”

Buffy couldn’t help but cringe as Willow’s thoughtless words hit home – way harder than she would have liked.

“Oh my goddess!” the redhead exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, Buffy… I didn’t think-”

“It’s all good, Wills,” she murmured. “You’ll like Daniel – he’s adorable.”

“His wife?” Willow scrunched up her nose. “Just so you know, I'm prepared to hate this woman any way you want.”

Buffy smiled, small but sincere. “Thanks, but no. I don’t wanna seem all petty. Besides,” she continued, “Sam’s actually really nice. You can tell at a glance how much she loves her husband and child. It’s hard to be angry at her for falling for a guy with some history.”

“I’m sure Riley didn’t mention how much he hurt you by leaving like he did,” Dawn added churlishly. “I’m sure, in his version, he was completely blameless.”

“Go, sisterhood.” Buffy couldn’t help but laugh at Dawn’s staunch defense.

The doorbell interrupted their moment of sisterly affection. Buffy gave Dawn a quick smile and went to greet their guests.

“Hey there, Buffy,” Sam’s happy smile greeted her. “Thanks for having us over.”

“It’s good to see you again.” Riley was smiling too. “Especially with nothing immediately threatening.”

“Buff-eee!” Daniel’s enthusiasm gave Buffy the warm fuzzies. Especially when the little boy held out his arms for her.

There was a chorus of ‘Awwwws’ from the Scoobies as Sam transferred the little boy to Buffy’s arms.

“Hey, Daniel. I’m so happy to see you,” Buffy said, softly, once again gazing into the child’s hazel eyes. “How are you?”

Daniel clapped his hands and shouted, “Happ-ee,” as loud as he could.

“Pizza’s been ordered,” Xander announced as everyone found seating. “Is there anything special needed for the little nipper?”

“Daniel will be fine with pizza, Xander,” Sam insisted. “I just need to cut it up into little pieces. He loves it.”

“Well, will you look at that,” Dawn exclaimed, peering at Daniel. “He’s got the same weird little nose you do, Buffy.”

“What are you talking about?” Buffy asked, but turned to look anyway. “You know… you’re right,” she murmured, tracing the contours of Daniel’s nose with her finger. “What are the odds?”

Riley hurriedly snatched his son up into an embrace, and sat down, settling the boy on his lap. “It’s just a nose,” he insisted. “Besides, it’ll change as he grows up. You can never tell what a kid’ll look like as he ages.”

“Why are you making such a big deal of it, Ri? I think it’s a perfectly adorable nose,” Sam said, tweaking the tip of her son’s nose, making the boy laugh.

“Looks cute on Daniel,” Dawn shrugged. “I still say it’s weird on Buffy.”

*****

Pizza eaten, Buffy turned to Riley and Sam. “So, what are we going to do about the missing eggs?” she asked, looking at Riley and Sam.

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Riley said, dismissively. “I called a patrol unit last night for a search and destroy mission. It should all be taken care of by now.”

Sam looked surprised, but said nothing.

“What are you talking about?” Buffy asked, anger mounting quickly. “If you had the ability to send out a search team in the first place, then why in the hell did you bother coming here to involve me?”

“Yes, Ri,” Sam finally spoke up. “Why would you do that?”

“I-I thought we could gather them up without needing to involve the military,” he stammered. “But since Buffy killed the Suvolte and we needed to call out a disposal unit anyway – I figured we might as well kill two birds with one stone.”

“You know that makes sense… in the kind of way that does not,” Buffy spat, angered at having Riley insert himself back into her life unnecessarily. It seemed as if all he wanted to do was shove his successful personal life in her face. And gloat.

And then, as she tried to decipher the bizarre patterns in Riley’s behavior, another idea crystallized. Stunned by the realization, she said, “And all that Sturm und Drang about Spike being the Doctor and trafficking the eggs? That was a setup, wasn’t it? You knew he had nothing to do with it.”

“There were rumors,” Riley insisted, self-righteous indignation puffing up his chest. “Knowing Spike as I do-”

“That’s just it, Riley,” Buffy heard her voice rising with her mounting anger. “You don’t know Spike at all. You _never_ knew Spike. You and the freaking Initiative saw ‘vampire’ and stuffed that chip into his head and considered yourself accomplished. What the hell gave you the right to do that to a sentient creature?

“Then you came back here, shoving your perfect wife and perfect son in my face, in the belief that you could tell me about Spike’s dirty dealings and I’d finally dust him. Because then all would be right in Riley’s world again. All done, tally counted – you win!

“Well, let me tell you something once and for all, Mister Know-it-all. Spike may be evil, but he comes by it honestly. He doesn’t go about putting the blame for his actions onto somebody else – he owns his own crap.”

“Buffy, hold on a minute,” Sam tried to interrupt, looking very upset.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Buffy said apologetically. “I like you, I really do – and Daniel is a sweet, adorable child. I don’t wish either of you harm but your husband seems to have had his own agenda in this whole Suvolte deal. You might want to work that out with him when you leave.”

“I-I’m sorry, Buffy,” Sam said, tears forming in her eyes. “We-I never meant to impose on your hospitality.” She stood, gathering her son into her arms, and made her way towards the door. “Let’s go, Riley,” she said, determination coloring her voice.

Riley wisely kept his mouth shut, and followed his family out the door.

“Does anyone else here have anything they want to get off their chest before I declare this meeting over and done with?” Buffy asked, eyes bright with rage.

Dawn jumped up and hugged Buffy around the waist, whispering, “Good for you, sis. I’m proud of you for defending Spike from that asshole.”

“Dawn, language,” Buffy said, automatically.

Nobody else had anything else to add.


	6. Chapter 6

Buffy stomped into his crypt looking like someone had pissed in her cornflakes. Spike who’d been sitting in his ratty old armchair watching something inane on the telly sat up and waited for her to make the first move, as always.

“I need you to tell me something, Spike,” she said, staring at him with hurt and indignation blaring from her eyes. “And I want you to tell me the absolute truth – no mocking allowed.”

“I always tell you the truth, Slayer… even when you don’t want to hear it.” Spike cocked his head, studying her posture and demeanor closely.

“Do… do I have a funny nose?”

“Do you what?”

“I said it clearly enough, didn’t I?” she asked, impatiently waiting on his answer. “Spill!”

“You, love, are unique. Your nose fits your face like it was made for it,” he said, softly. “It wouldn’t be you without that lovely little bump at the tip.”

“Argh!” she shouted to the ceiling, balling up her fists. “What do you and Dawn have against my damned nose? I hope Daniel doesn’t have to deal with this crap.”

Spike’s ears perked up. “What’s it got to do with Cardboard Junior?”

“Dawn said Daniel has my nose,” she explained. “And you should have seen Riley jump up and snatch the baby away from me when she did – like I was a monster or something that would scare his precious child.”

“Now I want you to hear me out before you freak…” Spike said, holding his hands out in a placating manner. “When I first found the bitling, I thought there was something familiar about him. Like… family. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it then, and it’s hazy now… ”

“But we’ve never… and even if we _did_ ever… you can’t make babies!”

“That cleared things right up,” Spike laughed, amused at Buffy’s attempt at rebuttal. “We need to check out the bit when the toy soldier isn’t around.”

“And how do you expect that to happen? I’ve pretty much torched what there was of a relationship with Daniel’s parents this evening,” she said, mumbling something else under her breath that was too low for even Spike to make out.

“You’re gonna have to repeat that last bit, love. Despite vampire hearing, I’m not quite fixed up with sonar.” Spike watched as she obviously struggled over whether or not to share her thoughts.

Finally, she gave in. “I said, I defended you to Riley and the Scoobies, and that went down like a lead balloon.”

Spike was positively gobsmacked. His Slayer - the woman he loved beyond all reason - had stood up to her friends and her ex over him? He would have given up an arm to have been there to see it.

“So what did you say,” he asked, still not quite believing his ears. If his heart could still beat, it would be jackhammering in anticipation by now.

“Don’t get cocky about it, Spike,” she said, a tinge of snark in her words. “I just told Riley that although he thinks he knows all about vampires, he doesn’t know _thing one_ about you… And that the Initiative was wrong to shove a chip in your head against your will.”

Now he knew he had to be dreaming. Buffy Summers was against the do-no-harm chip in his head? Hell must have frozen over. After being told time and time again that the chip was the only reason he was not dust by her hands… this was a revelation.

“I think you’re being something of a hypocrite here, love,” he said, slowly and softly. “All I’ve ever heard from you was it’s a good thing I’m ‘impotent’ or that, without the chip, I’d be blowing in the breeze. Your own words, petal.”

“In the long run, I might have been wrong,” Buffy admitted, “but I have to say, in the short run, that chip worked to curb the worst of your violent tendencies. And your impulsiveness,” she added. “It also gave me time to think – to get to know you more.

“I think I’d miss you if you weren’t in the world anymore, Spike,” she concluded, nodding her head for emphasis. “You do tend to make things interesting, to say the least.”

“Hell really must have frozen over,” Spike said with awe. “Never thought I’d hear the day when Miss Buffy Summers stepped down from her high horse and admitted she liked me.”

“I really didn’t say I liked you, did I?” Buffy looked horrified for a moment, before her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I guess I did. Huh! Are we due for an apocalypse? It’s not quite May, is it?”

Before Spike could answer, there was a knock on the crypt’s door.

“Another sign the world is ending, pet. Nobody ever knocks.” Spike opened the door and nearly fell on his arse in shock. Standing before him was a woman and baby Daniel.

“Sam!” Buffy yelped, pulling the woman into the crypt and closing the door behind her. “What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Alone?”

I had to find you.” Samantha Finn’s eyes were wet with unshed tears as she held her son tightly to her chest.

“You need anything? Not much here to offer a human,” Spike apologized, “but I do have some cold water or soda in the fridge.”

“No, no,” Sam demurred. “We’re fine. I have milk and snacks for Daniel, if he gets cranky.”

“Let me take him,” Buffy offered, as Sam put down her bag. “By the way, Spike, this is Samantha Finn, in case you haven’t guessed.

“Sam, this is Spike.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sam said, offering her hand.

“My pleasure, Mrs. Finn,” he managed, his voice nothing but sincere as he shook her hand.

“I needed to apologize for my husband,” Sam said, eyes cast down at her lap. “I don’t know what he was thinking involving you in this debacle with the Suvolte. The way he’s acting… I wouldn’t be surprised if he engineered it, himself.”

“Bloody git,” Spike snarled softly. “Still has a hard on for Buffy.”

“Spike!” Buffy hissed. “Sam is his _wife_ and she loves him.”

“More fool her, then,” he snarked. At Buffy’s glare, he sighed. “S’not my place to comment on your love life. It’s just that, when it affects Buffy, I tend to be a bit protective.”

“I understand,” Sam said. “And Buffy was right last night – we might know vampires, but we clearly don’t know you,” she said, blushing slightly.

Buffy blushed, too, obviously not at all comfortable at having her words confirmed.

“What can you tell me about the niblet’s biological parents?” Spike asked with no preamble.

Sam startled, clearly not expecting the question, but answered nevertheless. “Riley told me that he’d been orphaned on one of the Initiatives missions and he was being cared for by a rotation of personnel in the labs. Since we’d just gotten married and wanted children, Riley offered to give him a happy home.”

“So is there a file showing his parentage?” Buffy asked. “Or did you just take Riley’s word on the matter?”

Spike watched the shock creep across Sam’s face as the implication sunk in.

“You think he flat-out lied to me?” Sam’s tears finally fell. “Maybe I was naïve, but it felt like we were doing the right thing. I mean, look at him,” she said, stroking the boy’s hair. “Who wouldn’t fall in love with him?”

“Would you mind?” Spike asked, motioning towards Daniel.

“By all means, Spike,” Sam said, “just don’t be offended if he starts to cry. He’s usually not comfortable around other people.”

“Come to Spike, little man,” the vampire crooned as he picked the boy up and looked into his face. “Let’s see what all the fuss is about.”

He sat down on the couch next to Buffy. “Two beautiful hazel eyes,” he noted, as Daniel just stared at him. “One little nose, complete with the infamous little bump I’ve heard tell about, and a cupid’s bow upper lip for a smile.”

“Now that you’ve taken inventory, Spike,” Buffy said with slight trepidation in her voice, “what do you think?”

Spike nuzzled Daniel’s neck and took a deep breath, then kissed the boy on the forehead. “It’s crazy,” he said, shaking his head. “Dunno how it would be possible, Slayer, but he smells like family – and you.”


	7. Chapter 7

Spike had given up all thoughts of ever being a family man in 1880, when Dru turned him. Consequently, he was having a hard time trying to wrap his lobes around the possibility that Daniel could be his kid.

And the icing on the cake of this impossibility was that the Slayer – Buffy – was the mother! He thought back to her earlier words:

_“But we’ve never… and even if we _did_ ever… you can’t make babies!”_

They most certainly _had_. Just not in the time frame needed for the boy’s conception. They hadn’t begun to fuck until after her resurrection. So how in the hell…

“Oh those bloody bastards!”

Both Buffy and Mrs. Cardboard (who looked ready to bolt) stopped talking and stared at him.

“We know the Initiative was fond of its demon experiments,” he stated, turning to the soldier’s wife. “Do you know what kinds of ‘material’ they took to study?”

Samantha paled. “I - I knew they were heavily into genetics, so they took blood, I’d assume… but they were looking at what would make a super-soldier, not… not…”

“Apparently they took the making part back to infancy,” Spike completed her thought.

“Oh god,” Buffy groaned, looking decidedly green. She turned to Spike. “But wouldn’t they have needed your… cooperation? To get your…?”

“I was drugged to the eyeballs a good chunk of the time; who knows how cooperative I was. The real question is… how did they get hold of your…”

“My eggs,” Buffy said softly, her hand moving self-consciously to her abdomen.

“Were you there, pet?” Spike asked, trying not to spook her. “Did they ever get you alone? Lose time? Anything that might explain this?”

“I only went there once – just a visit. I got a tour with Riley and Professor Walsh,” she said, looking thoughtful. “Riley was _always_ there. In fact, we went out on patrol afterwards – I really needed to kill something.”

Spike stopped pacing, having an epiphany. “Did you bleed?”

“What?”

“Simple question, Slayer. Did. You. Bleed?”

“Oh. Oh!” Buffy caught his meaning. “Riley managed to clean me up after the surprise attack. He said I would be a walking dinner advertisement, otherwise.”

“What did he do with the bloody cloth?” Spike prompted.

“He put it in his pocket. There weren’t any trash cans around,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes as if he’d asked a stupid question.

“‘It’s always about the blood’” Spike recited, shaking his head at the duplicity of the berk. Your blood – my jizz… two sets of DNA, one genetically engineered baby.”

Tears poured down Sam’s cheeks. “This is all conjecture,” she said, holding tightly to Daniel, who had started to fidget in her grasp. “We can’t know for sure.” She looked about helplessly, tears continuing to fall unabated. “You can’t take him,” she cried. “You can’t possibly think of caring for a baby in a crypt.”

“Oh, Sam,” Buffy soothed, putting her arms around the woman’s shoulders. “Don’t get ahead of things. First of all, it’s probably not true. Second of all, the life of a Slayer isn’t really conducive to raising a baby – I’ve never even thought about living long enough to conceive one, much less care for one.”

“Before you sign away all parental responsibility, Slayer,” Spike interjected, “please remember that there’s another side to this equation. If they really did revive my little swimmers, that child is as much mine as yours.”

Buffy’s nervous laughter rang out in the crypt. “And just what kind of a father do you think you’d be, Spike? You’re a vampire. You live in a dank, dirty crypt. You can’t even go out in the sun!”

“I’m not talkin’ about raising the bit on my own, you know. You have a perfectly child-friendly house, a built-in babysitter in Niblet, and friends who would probably do anything for you if you only asked.”

“Until they found out the baby’s father is the vampire they detest,” Buffy shot back. “And Giles would implode!”

“I can’t stand this anymore,” Sam cried, the pain in her voice clearly evident. “I have to leave, get back to the base. There must be records of Daniel’s birth. There has to be a logical explanation.”

Buffy went over to the distraught woman, who flinched at Buffy’s approach and moved Daniel out of her reach.

Spike saw his Slayer flinch as well at the slight, but she persevered.

“You need to be careful around Riley,” she said, withdrawing from where she wasn’t wanted. “If you try and confront him –”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? That I’d go back to him by myself with my baby in tow?” Sam stood, tall and proud. “I might have been naive when he swept me off my feet, and I might still have love in my heart for my family… but the next time I speak with my husband, I’ll be better informed. And I won’t have Daniel with me.

“I’m sorry, Buffy… Spike. I really am. I know you haven’t done anything to create this situation but right now I can’t be here. I can’t look at you and Daniel, and be comfortable.”

“How the bloody hell do you think we feel?” Spike snarled, suddenly desperate for a fag but unwilling to light up with the baby nearby.

“Sam, what are you going to do?” Buffy’s panicked expression matched Spike’s. “You can’t possibly think of going back to Riley.”

Sam looked around the crypt, picked up her baby bag and started for the door. She turned around, hesitating. “I don’t know what to do,” she cried, obviously torn between staying and going. “Taking Daniel with me probably isn’t a good idea, but…”

Spike walked up to her, hands out to show he meant no harm. “It would just be temporary,” he said softly, looking at the little boy with affection. “And I can guarantee you won’t find a safer pair of bodyguards to keep him out of harm’s way.”

Buffy nodded her agreement. “We won’t stay here, of course. As Spike pointed out, I have a perfectly suitable house where Daniel will be warm and comfortable, and surrounded by people who will watch over him.”

“As long as they don’t suspect who his parents might actually be,” Spike muttered under his breath.

“I – I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” Sam dithered. “There aren’t enough diapers, and I didn’t bring actual food.”

“It doesn’t matter, Sam,” Buffy soothed. “I promise someone will go out for diapers, and we’ll make sure he’s fed and put to sleep in a safe place.”

“And we will give him back to you when you return,” Spike insisted, knowing the source of Sam’s true distrust.

“Even if he’s yours?” Sam asked, not believing.

“We’ve got a long way to go before coming to that conclusion,” Buffy said with determination in her voice. “Let’s find out what we can first, and we’ll worry about everything else later.”

“Fine,” Sam finally allowed, handing Daniel off to Buffy reluctantly. “Mommy loves you, Daniel,” she said, nuzzling into his neck. “Don’t you ever forget.”

Without looking back, she walked - head held high - out of the crypt.

*****

Buffy’s relatively calm demeanor shattered no more than five minutes after Sam left the crypt. Putting Daniel down on a blanket she’d pulled out of Sam’s bag and surrounding him with his own toys, she moved to the other end of the room and let loose.

“They violated me!” she yelled, throwing Spike’s armchair across the room. “They violated _US!_ They took parts of our bodies without our permission and somehow managed to create a new little life without our say so!

“And if that wasn’t bad enough,” she continued, looking for something else she could throw, “they kept that little boy locked up in their lab and did god knows what to him. What kind of life is that for a child? Did they do to him what they did to you?” Buffy asked, stopping in front of Spike. “Did they poke him with needles? Did they freeze him? Burn him? Did they _fucking cut him to see how fast he would heal?_ ”

“Slayer!” Spike said, sharply. “Enough. We don’t have any answers and even if we did, what’s done is done. I’m guessin’ that Mrs. Soldier will try and suss out what happened. She loves the little nipper. I’ve a feelin’ I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of her fury when all is said and done.”

“Are you saying that I wouldn’t be able to love that little boy?” Buffy’s pupils were blown wide in fury, and Spike backed up a step. “That I wouldn’t love my son? _Our_ son, apparently, until proven otherwise.” Turning on him, she yelled, “And what about you? Would you lo… oh god, look who I’m asking!”

“If you think that I can’t love, pet, you’re barking mad,” Spike snarled. “You should know better than anyone the depth of love I’m capable of feeling – even if you don’t want to acknowledge it.” 

Buffy stopped, the answering tirade stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to admit it - she’d been taught the impossibility of soulless demons being capable of love - and yet, Spike had proven time and again that he was, indeed, capable of that emotion.

He’d shown it with Drusilla when they’d first come to town. According to her sister, he’d shown it to Dawn the entire time Buffy’d been dead and gone. In fact, he’d been trying to show it to _her_ before her death and resurrection.

“I-I’m sorry,” Buffy said quietly, all fire and rage dissipating for the moment. “It seems all my vampire knowledge is being brought into question today; the inability to have children, the inability to love. What am I gonna find out next? Vampires don’t really combust in the sun?”

“I know it’s confusing, pet,” Spike said, righting his ratty chair and gesturing for her to sit down. “Let’s just take the boy to your house, and wait for some answers. Maybe have one of the witches do a spell to prevent anyone coming in with ill-intentions.”

“We’re gonna tear ourselves apart just sitting here,” Buffy agreed. “And Daniel will be much more comfy at home.”

“Then off we go, kitten. Time’s-a-wasting.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I tried matching Daniel’s conception and birth dates up with aired Buffy episodes, but I ended up nearly tearing my hair out. Not being a geneticist, I’m just gonna say the scientists diddled with Spike’s jizz, and Buffy’s DNA and a stripped ovum from some other poor, unsuspecting human, and voila! Daniel is now two years old! Please just go with this.

Samantha Finn strode in to the Nevada United States Army Recruiting Command, 6th Medical Battalion, with steely determination in her blue eyes. The Initiative was officially no longer in existence, but – since the majority of its records had been kept offsite and had therefore survived the destruction of the Sunnydale base, most of the information relating to its activities remained intact.

She smoothed the skirt of her dress uniform, adjusted the strap of her Specialist ID tag, and headed towards the Security desk.

“Morning, Agent Finn,” the Sergeant said, handing back her ID badge. “What can we do for you today?”

“I need access to the Initiative medical files,” she said, keeping her gaze steady and her voice calm.

“Do you have authorization?”

“I don’t need it,” she insisted, once again brandishing her badge. “I was assigned to the Initiative and I have questions regarding a case that had never been closed out. It’s imperative I have access. Immediately, soldier!”

Looking equally confused and cowed, the Sergeant pointed to a bank of elevators behind him. “Take the last car on the left to the fourth floor. Good luck with your research, Ma’am,” he called before looking back down at the bank of monitors in front of him.

The sound of her heels clacked loudly in the empty hallway. She stopped in front of room 415; stenciled on the door was ‘Files and Records’. No time like the present, she thought as she crossed the threshold.

Now, the thing about the army was, they believed in redundancy in everything. Not only were there records on the computer, there were also actual paper files. Rows and rows of metal filing cabinets gathering dust.

She headed straight for the cabinets - no way to track which files she looked at if she stuck to the paper.

The cabinets were diligently labeled by year. Sam did a quick scan and opened the drawer for 2000 – Daniel’s birth year. She fanned through the files – Hostile Sub Terrestrial 1, Hostile Sub Terrestrial 3, Hostile Sub Terrestrial 9… all with red dots next to their names. Hostile Sub Terrestrial 17, however, had a green dot next to his. Spike’s file. Two other files were binder-clipped to it: Sub Terrestrial 1 and Hostile Sub Terrestrial 1701.

Glancing at the contents, her fingers turned nerveless, and she dropped the files to the floor. _No, no, no! It can’t be this simple. It can’t be true!_ Her mind raced with the implications of the possible evidence before her. She quickly gathered the files and stuffed them into her attaché case. This required privacy and a stiff drink, neither of which she would get on base.

Carefully re-shuffling the folders to eliminate the gap and disguise the missing files, Sam closed the cabinet drawer and left the room, heading swiftly to the main floor and exiting without a backwards glance. She was going back to Sunnydale – but not to her husband – or even to her son, who she was loath to admit was in good hands.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She’d been used. And (to Riley) Daniel was nothing more than a damned pawn in his sick games. Even if she wasn’t Daniel’s biological mother, she knew the little boy deserved better than Riley as a father. How could she have been so blind? How had he managed to pull the wool over her eyes so easily?

The only thing that made Sam’s gut roil more than her own marital status was Daniel’s actual parentage, now that she knew Spike and Buffy were probably his biological parents. She promised herself that she would pore over the files in her possession with a fine tooth comb and make damned sure of their authenticity before making any more life altering decisions.

*****

Riley Finn was not a happy camper. He was in his family’s hotel room – alone. No sign of Sam or Daniel. She’d been so angry at him. ‘Betrayed’ she’d said. ‘Liar’ she called him. The perfect jilted wife.

It shouldn’t bother him – it wasn’t like Sam was the love of his life. And as for Daniel? He was simply a weapon to wield, an instrument with which to hurt the vampire. He’d only been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make Hostile 17 pay for everything: for uncovering his vampire bite fetish, for making Buffy mad enough to burn down the vampires’ building, for dodging the Slayer’s stake and her censure time and time again.

Buffy’s refusal to dust the menace after he’d first been chipped was nonsensical. The fact that he couldn’t kill humans didn’t eradicate his past – hundreds, if not thousands, had perished under his fangs. That alone should have been enough to assure his dusting.

But no, Buffy insisted that it wasn’t morally right to kill a ‘defenseless creature’. Ha! Riley couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled out of him at that. There was _absolutely nothing_ morally right about Spike. No soul, no sense of right or wrong; just negative base emotions and the delusion that he was in love with the girl who should have been his mortal enemy.

It just didn’t make sense! None of it. The army had taught him to take any available advantage over the enemy. If an enemy was weakened, that was the proper time to destroy it. Yet Buffy made it sound like dusting Spike was the equivalent of killing a disabled puppy.

Yeah, right – like a disabled puppy who could plot to kill and destroy. Hostile 17 was in no way helpless. He did, however, use his chip as an excuse to hide behind the Slayer’s skirts.

Riley had been hoping Buffy would pine for him once he’d left Sunnydale. And he had hoped that the vampire would take heed of his warning (via plastic stake) to stay away from the girl. To see the two of them naked together – knowing they were screwing each other – made him physically sick. It had taken all his willpower not to vomit right then and there.

Any thoughts of possibly reconnecting with Buffy flew out the window. Taking a demon’s sloppy seconds was unacceptable. The thought of vampire jizz corrupting the body of a symbol of goodness and right was revolting.

Yeah, he knew he was being hypocritical. He fully agreed with the Initiative’s genetic breeding program. That was different – it was clinical. All done with gloved hands and metal instruments and glass beakers, not actual sexual contact.

Daniel was the first success in their breeding program and their crowning achievement. The Initiative’s doctors, now operating under the auspices of the regular army (since the Initiative was ‘disbanded’), would soon require the child be brought in for testing again. They needed to check and see if he displayed any tendencies towards super strength or healing.

Sam wouldn’t be pleased. He couldn’t fathom how the woman could have grown to love the boy so deeply after only a handful of months. Riley could hardly bear to look at him. Acting the part of loving father was a tour de force acting job.

“Whatever,” he said aloud, shrugging his shoulders. There was nothing he could do until Sam decided to come back. And she would, he was sure of it. He knew Sam loved him. Right now she was disappointed, but that would pass. Plus, Daniel’s clothes and toys were here. The kid couldn’t survive on one outfit for long.

Throwing his hands in the air, Riley muttered ‘fuck it!’ and opened the mini-bar. Frankly, he was just about ready to be done with all of this. Nothing went as planned regarding Buffy. She hadn’t been hurt by or jealous of his ‘perfect life’ or ‘perfect family’. And she was currently fucking the object of his hatred.

Sam had obviously cottoned on to his real intentions behind the Suvolte mess. The bitch turned out to be smarter than he gave her credit for. As for Daniel, he was no longer a means to an end, and if he never saw the boy (or half-demon) again, that would be just fine.

Maybe instead of waiting for Sam to get over herself, he should just leave – go back to Belize – where the weather was hot, the water was cool, and the women were… easily pleased.


	9. Chapter 9

“Dawn!” Buffy yelled as she stormed into the house. “Where are you?”

“I’m right here,” Dawn called from the stairs. “You don’t have to yell like a crazy person.”

“I need your help,” Buffy said as she turned, exposing the little boy in her arms.

“OMG, you’ve got Daniel!” Dawn squealed happily, reaching for the child. “Hi, Spike,” she added, as he trailed Buffy into the house and closed the door.

Spike put the child’s bag down on the nearest chair. “’Lo, Nibblet.”

“Who’s a cutie pie?” the happy teen questioned, gently poking Daniel in the belly. “Wanna tell me why he’s here? Where’re Sam and Riley?”

“I’m guessin’ Mrs. Soldier left her husband.” Spike piped up before Buffy could say anything. “And now she’s off doing some research in the Initiative files – research that should have been done -”

“Spike!” Buffy snapped. “Enough conjecture. Sam found out some information that has her upset,” she offered by way of explanation. “She’s looking into some questions she has - we have - as well.”

“That doesn’t explain why Daniel is here,” Dawn insisted. “Sam wouldn’t leave her kid just to look at some stupid papers. She’d…”

Buffy watched as the proverbial shoe dropped and Dawn digested what she’d heard.

“What do you mean that Sam left Riley? They looked so happy and they have a little boy that they love and… and…”

“And everything’s not always as rosy as it appears, pet,” Spike soothed.

“Look at Daniel and tell me what you see,” Buffy asked, watching her sister’s reactions carefully. “Tell me about his face.”

Dawn looked confused but complied, studying Daniel’s face closely. “Still seeing your nose,” she murmured quietly. She traced his brows and mouth with her finger before she shook her head in confusion. “His mouth,” she began, “his mouth is a perfect little replica of - of Spike’s! How can that be?”

Buffy knew she looked just as flustered as her sister. “You know they did experiments on demons in the Initiative labs, right? And that they did them on Spike when he was held captive.”

“So? Vampires can’t father children. Their, um, stuff is as undead as they are, right?” Dawn’s expression turned thoroughly bewildered as she insisted, “And that still doesn’t explain how Daniel has _your_ nose.”

“You remember big sis went on a tour of the place back when she was dating Cardboard?”

Dawn nodded slowly.

“Seems the git managed to get a sample of her blood during a patrol, and whisked it away to his doctor pals.”

“We don’t know anything for sure, Dawn.” Buffy chose her words carefully; aware it was all still conjecture and gut instinct. “That’s what Sam is off investigating. To see if there are files relating to Daniel’s conception and birth.”

“And she got a mite upset when I asked her if she ever looked into Daniel’s parentage before agreeing to adopt him.” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Seems she just took her bloke’s word on things.”

Dawn joggled Daniel in her arms as he’d started to squirm. “Can I put him down? I mean, I know the house isn’t exactly child-proof, but we can watch him.”

“He’ll be fine, Dawnie. Grab a couple of his toys from his bag to keep him occupied.”

“Might want to take a sniff of his nethers first, pet,” Spike said, his nose definitely wrinkling.

“Oh, crap!” Buffy sighed, shaking her head at her choice of words. “I forgot all about the diaper part of having a baby.”

“You whiner!” Dawn laughed, checking the bag for fresh diapers. “I’ll do it if the Big Tough Slayer is afraid of a little poop.”

“Best be careful of the water spout, Nibblet,” Spike warned. “Little boys tend to shoot straight up.”

Dawn blushed scarlet, but bravely continued with her task.

“Good, that’s settled,” Buffy said. “I’m gonna go call Giles - I think it’s time to get a Watcher involved.”

“Oh, yeah. Rupert’s gonna be a big help,” Spike scoffed. “What’s he gonna do? Bring tweed nappies?”

Buffy glared at him before she turned on her heel and went into the kitchen. “Behave yourself!” were her parting words.

*****

Buffy opened the door to a flustered Giles.

“It would have been nice to know _why_ you insisted I come to you in such a hurry,” he said, hanging his coat on the hook by the door.

“Keep yer voice down, you big lummox,” Spike hissed from the couch. “We just put the little one down for a nap, and Satan help you if he wakes up thanks to your racket.”

Giles’s befuddled expression deepened. “What on earth do you mean by _little one_?” he asked, albeit in a hushed tone.

“It’s Daniel,” Buffy said, “Riley’s adopted son. Spike and I are taking care of him for the time being.”

“And why would Riley – a man who does nothing but bemoan Spike’s continued existence – leave his son with the two of you?”

“He didn’t,” Buffy tried to explain. “Sam did. She and Riley are having serious issues at the moment. Sam is away doing some research and she knew the baby would be in safe hands with the two of us.”

“What I don’t understand,” Giles said slowly, “is why call me over? I know nothing about raising children – I’ve never watched one alone in my entire life.”

At that opportune moment, a distressed cry drifted down the stairs. Buffy headed upstairs to the source.

“No worries, Rupes,” Spike said, slapping the man on the shoulder. “You’re about to get up close and personal with the nipper.”

Buffy came back downstairs carrying a sniffling Daniel on her hip. “No problems here,” she said, wiping the tears from the boy’s eyes. “Clean diaper, too. Bonus! Guess he just didn’t want to sleep anymore.”

“Are you thirsty, little man?” Dawn asked, taking Daniel from Buffy’s arms. “Let’s go get you some water for your sippy cup.”

“As soon as Daniel’s calm, we’ll begin with the questions,” Buffy said, stalling Giles in his tracks.

When Dawn came back into the living room a couple of minutes later, it was with a happy Daniel, drinking lustily from his cup.

“Nibblet, hand the boy over to the Watcher,” Spike directed.

“But… but…”

“No ‘buts’, mister,” Buffy insisted. “This is the important part.”

With an expression that looked much as if he was being asked to hold a nuclear bomb, Giles took the boy onto his lap and held him nervously.

“Okay, now I need you to be your stuffy, Watcherly self,” Buffy started, smiling at the picture the two of them made. “As if you’re writing in one of your journals, I want you to describe Daniel. Pay particular attention to the details of his face.”

Giles grimaced as Daniel gave a large burp, and tossed his cup to the floor. He recovered quickly, however, and Buffy watched as the mantle of Watcher descended and his expression changed to one of analytical interest.

“It’s a human child – a boy, going by the outfit,” he began, tilting the child’s head up a fraction to see his features better. “Two eyes, hazel. Two somewhat pronounced cheekbones, covered with baby fat. One little upturned nose…” he faltered here, running his fingers over the aforementioned nose. “One little nose with an odd little bump on the end. Two lips – the upper a cupid’s bow shape and the bottom… the bottom fuller and plump.”

“And?” Buffy asked impatiently. “What are your conclusions?”

“He’s a little boy, like millions of other little boys,” Giles murmured, examining the boy’s face once again. “His nose… it’s very much like yours, Buffy,” he said, a troubled look in his eyes.

“Anything else, Watcher?” Spike pressed. “Anything else you find familiar?”

Giles fixed the vampire with an annoyed stare, which melted into one of confusion. “This makes no sense,” he said. “None, at all.”

“Spill, please?” Buffy could barely contain her emotions. It wasn’t all imaginary, this could really be happening.

“I must be losing my mind,” Giles concluded. “Why else would I be seeing both your features, and Spike’s, on this child?” His tone turned demanding. “Explain, please?”

“That’s the rub, Rupert,” Spike said. “We’ve been over it and over it, and the only possible conclusion is that the Initiative played mad scientist and scrambled together the Little Bit in one of their attempts to create their fabled ‘super soldier’.”

“But you can’t create a child from a vampire and a human… It’s a known fact that vampire, erm, sperm is immotile – dead. Nothing can be fertilized from it,” Giles insisted. “And though _it_ is rather readily obtainable,” he continued, unable to look Spike directly in the eyes, “where and how would they be able to harvest eggs…”

He stopped, horror overcoming his mien.

“Buffy, what did they do to you? When you toured the facility, did they…?” He was unable to complete the question.

“They never touched me, Giles,” Buffy soothed, touched by his obvious concern. “Riley and I went on patrol later that night. I got wounded, slightly. But it bled, and Riley helped me clean up and Spike and I figured out that he’d saved the bloody cloth he used to clean the cut. Fresh DNA, right from the source. No eggs needed.”

“Not yours, at least,” Spike concluded. “DNA had to go somewhere to develop into something that looks human. Smells human, too. Smells like family, still.”

Daniel began to fuss and Dawn, ever ready, picked him up and took him to the floor to keep him distracted.

“My god, it’s Machiavellian!” Giles exclaimed. “The Initiative were toying with the building blocks of life… and unlife, as it were. Who knows where they would stop?”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Spike scoffed. “And you call us vampires evil? Most of us kill to eat. We are obligate blood drinkers. You won’t find a vegetarian amongst the species. But tryin’ to make a whole new creature? That’s beyond the pale.”

Giles was clearly overcome with outrage at this point. “They _violated_ you, Buffy. Perhaps not your person, per se, but they took what makes you _you_ and used it for their own personal agenda.” After a moment, he looked straight at Spike. “I gather you didn’t willingly assist in the retrieval of your… DNA?”

Spike simply shook his head.

“Then they violated you, as well. This whole situation is obscene,” Giles spat. “Is this what Riley’s wife is looking into? What’s going to happen if it’s proven that this child is yours?” He paused a moment and asked quietly, “And what is Riley going to do?”

“That’s the $64,000 question, innit, mate?” Spike said. “Turns out the git had his own agenda coming back to Sunnyhell – and it had nothing to do with needing Buffy’s help with a demon he let loose, himself. He’s never gotten over the chit not cleaving herself to his whims.”

“We don’t know what he’s going to do now,” Buffy took over. “He used Sam to get the baby, and he wanted to use the baby for some kind of revenge on Spike. I just hope that he doesn’t hurt Sam when he catches up with her.”

“Do you really think that little of him, Buffy?” Giles looked appalled. That he would physically harm the woman he married?”

“At this point, I don’t think I ever knew him,” Buffy said, steadfastly. “I know there’s more to him than he lets on. He’s not the corn-fed, all American soldier he makes himself out to be. And that scares me.”

Giles sighed. “As atrocious as this situation is, I must admit to being grateful that this child isn’t the result of an actual union between you and Spike. The thought of you taking yet another vampire as a lover is most ‘wigsome’, to borrow a phrase.”

Buffy looked at Spike and he returned her gaze with a small upturn of his lips. Neither said a word. Buffy quickly averted her gaze, and blushed to the roots of her hair.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam pulled in to the parking lot of Sunnydale Inn, her mouth twisted into a moue of disgust. One problem with small towns like Sunnydale – not a lot of choice in places to stay. The motel was somewhat rundown, and the neighborhood was sketchy, but at least Riley would be unlikely to look for her here.

She’d already made the important phone calls – one to the motel she’d stayed in with Riley to have all her and Daniel’s belongings packed up and sent to her new accommodation. And one to the Military Family Advocacy Program who would ensure that Riley would have no access to her whereabouts or goings on from this point forward.

But despite the practical steps forward, she still felt as if she were about to come apart at the seams. Rationality seemed to have left the building and she couldn’t wrestle back control.

Not only did it turn out that her beloved husband was a vengeful jackass still pining for his old girlfriend; he was also a master manipulator. He’d used her. He’d damned well _used_ her like… like… Aargh! Sam was so angry and hurt she couldn’t even think of an appropriate metaphor.

What he’d done to Daniel was worse. All his apparent affection for the little boy had clearly been an act. To him, Daniel was simply a weapon to be utilized. A prop with which to taunt his most hated adversary – rubbing Spike’s face in the fact that _he_ was raising _his_ child. And a tool with which to lure back Buffy.

Sam gasped as she realized something new – Riley must’ve knocked out their babysitter, taken Daniel and abandoned him in the cemetery as bait for Spike. The boy could have been killed by any one of the many HSTs roaming around in the Sunnydale night.

What did he expect would happen when all his plans lined up and Spike actually found the boy? Did he think the vampire would kill him? Drain him? Oh god, maybe even turn him?

Sam furiously wiped the tears from her cheeks. The longer she had to think, the worse her thoughts became. The man she loved was growing into a ten-foot-tall monster in her mind.

Whipping the files from her attaché case, Sam spread them out on the bed before her. It was all there right in front of her eyes. Spike – Hostile Sub Terrestrial 17 – had sperm extracted multiple times while unconscious. The process the Initiative doctors used to revive its motility was incomprehensible to the layman but for Sam, it wasn’t the important part.

In vitro fertilization with Spike’s sperm was a success.

Quickly opening Buffy’s file, Sam felt the bile build up in her system. She was relieved to learn that, at least, Buffy had been spared the egg retrieval. They’d gathered her DNA from a blood sample taken from a field dressing retrieved by Agent Finn…

There it was – the proof that her husband was complicit in aiding and abetting the violation of two people. Sam ran to the bathroom and heaved up the contents of her stomach.

A swift rinse of her mouth and she was back to reading Buffy’s file.

They’d injected Buffy’s DNA into hollowed-out ovum gathered from one of their own soldiers – whether or not she was a willing donor or just one more victim, the file did not say. It was done over and over again until finally they had achieved their goal.

There were twelve viable embryos implanted in volunteer personnel. Six resulted in spontaneous miscarriage before six weeks, three pregnancies failed at four months, and two more were lost at seven months.

The only surviving embryo resulted in Daniel.

Tears burning her eyes, Sam finally opened the file for Hostile Sub Terrestrial 1701 – her little boy reduced to a beuraucratic number – and read the story of Daniel’s gestation. Normal, normal, normal for five months, and then his growth accelerated. He was born a seemingly full-term baby at just twenty-eight weeks, weighing in at 6lbs, 7.5oz. and twenty inches long.

He was raised by revolving shifts of laboratory personnel. Until (just before her marriage) Riley Finn had petitioned the Initiative for custody of the boy and the chance to raise him in an actual family setting.

Sam felt her self-control shatter and she broke down sobbing. She was adrift, and she needed her anchor; she had to get to Daniel as soon as possible.

Taking a deep breath, she washed her face with cold water and fixed her makeup. Replacing the folders in her attaché, she called Buffy and told her she was on her way.

*****

To say Riley wasn’t a happy camper was the understatement of the year. And sitting around his empty hotel room was accomplishing nothing but fueling his temper. How dare Sam side against him? His plans had been simple and straightforward and, if she’d just stuck by his side until he was ready to dump her, her life would’ve been so much easier.

Maybe she was stupid, as well as naïve.

And maybe, he should be laying the blame right where it belonged – at the feet of fucking Hostile 17, the bane of his existence. Thanks to that creature, the Initiative had been disbanded, friends had died, and his relationship with Buffy had tanked.

It was all Spike’s fault.

“What the hell am I doing, sitting here and letting that bastard have free rein?” he asked himself. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.”

Gathering up a handful of stakes and some holy water and checking his holsters for the rest of his weaponry, Riley left the motel, determined to end this once and for all.

First stop: Restfield Cemetery, to stake out Spike’s crypt. No noise emanating from inside but that might just mean Spike was on the lower level. Riley made himself comfortable behind the nearest mausoleum and hunkered down. Sooner or later the vampire would show himself and Riley would make sure it was the last time he ever did.

Hours of fruitless waiting did nothing for Riley’s disposition. With dawn breaking, and the likelihood of Spike strolling through the cemetery to hole up for the day rapidly vanishing, Riley gathered his belongings and shifted locations.

Second stop: Giles’ home. The man had (for reasons that defied common sense) often harbored the vampire in the past. Giles was supposed to be the man behind the Slayer, was supposed to ensure she did her job and actually _killed_ the creatures. Instead, Giles had allowed one to roam about his home freely, lounging on the couch and chugging blood like he hadn’t a care in the world.

No discipline – that was the problem. Buffy was supposed to follow her Watcher’s lead, and if she failed at her duty, it was probably at least partially Giles’s fault. Thank god the army didn’t have such lapses in leadership, or there’d be nothing but anarchy.

Riley tried peering in the windows, but the shades were drawn. He knocked on the door but nobody was home. That left one last place to look…

Third stop: Revello Drive. No such problem with the blinds here – half opened – enough to see clearly who was in the living room. Giles, Buffy, the little sister, Willow and - yes, the fucking vampire! What he hadn’t expected was the sight of his wife with the brat.

“Just let me finish this one last thing,” he muttered, “and I swear I’ll never set foot in this fucking town again. Sunnydale can get swallowed up by the earth and I’ll never give it another thought.”

He tried the back door, which was locked for the first time since he’d known Buffy. “Front door it is,” he growled, head down and determined.

The front door was also locked – again unusual. He could hear the people inside moving.

“Buffy, I know you’re in there,” Riley yelled, pounding heavily on the door. “We need to settle this once and for all.”

He was mid-pound when Buffy opened the door, standing back a few steps from the threshold. “And just what is it we have to ‘settle’, Riley?” she asked, her face a mask of disdain.

“For one thing, why my wife and kid are here?”

“I _know_ , Riley,” Sam spoke firmly as she walked up behind Buffy. “I know everything. The part you played in creating Daniel. Who his birth parents actually are.” Her chin wobbled, but the tears remained unshed.

“I also know that you don’t give a damn about Daniel. You used him, just as you used me.”

“Look, Sam,” Riley tried, “I don’t know what these people have said to you, what they think they know –”

“We know everything, Cardboard,” Spike sneered, joining the women in front of the open door. “Got the files an’ everything to prove you’ve been messin’ with things you’ve got no business messin’ with.”

Riley’s temper flared and he saw red. He lunged through the doorway – or rather attempted to – but a claxon-like noise sounded and he bounced off a red-tinged force field that sent him stumbling backwards onto his ass.

Buffy stood over him, with her arms folded across her chest, oddly still as if she were waiting for something.

“What the hell did you do?” Riley demanded. He could feel his face turning red as he scrambled to his feet.

“See how you like it, git,” Spike sneered. “You’re not welcome here.”

“Spike, that’s enough,” Buffy said softly, eyes never leaving Riley.

“The whole world’s gone mad!” Riley spat vehemently as he smacked the unyielding barrier. “You’re supposed to be the fucking Chosen one – the protector of the people – and yet you fuck your prey! And one vamp wasn’t enough for you, was it? You went back for more. You don’t fucking learn! You’re nothing but a demon-whore, cavorting with creatures the world would be better off without.”

As he wiped the spittle from his lips, Riley watched Buffy hold the vampire back from attacking with just the touch of her hand. Maybe he was wrong about who had the thrall.

“Go home, Riley,” Sam said. “Nobody wants you here.”

Riley ignored his wife, continuing to vent his invectives. “I’m not leaving until Hostile 17’s ashes are floating on the breeze,” he hollered. “Stop hiding behind Buffy’s skirts and come out here and fight me!”

Spike snarled. “I’m willin’ to bet the headache would be worth it to kill you once and for all.”

“There will be no killing here of any kind,” Buffy insisted, standing between Spike and the doorway. “Riley, go home. I promise there will be consequences if you don’t leave now. I don’t want to turn this into a beat down,” She shook her head sadly. “Because we both know who’ll win.”

Riley never got the chance to answer. With a screech of tires, a series of vehicles pulled into the Summers’ driveway, their high beams lighting the night. The doors opened on two Humvees, as a phalanx of Military Police surrounded Riley, tasers drawn.

“I’m sorry, Riley, but you left me no choice,” Sam said softly. “You’re a threat to my son and to the lives of others.”

“On your knees, soldier,” the man in charge barked. “Hands above your head where we can see them.”

“You’re being charged with several counts of fraud and endangering the welfare of a minor,” read a second solder from a list of charges. “You’re coming with us to face a court martial and stand trial for criminal offenses.”

Riley raised his hands above his head, his chin jutting out in defiance. If looks could kill, everyone inside of 1630 Revello Drive would be dead.


	11. Chapter 11

_Cardboard was gone, thank fuck._ Spike blew out an unneeded breath and glanced around the shell-shocked room – turning back just in time to see Buffy’s knees buckle. He grabbed her – catching her in his arms before her bum hit the floor.

“Well,” he murmured, “wasn’t that a doddle and a piece of piss?”

Buffy’s wounded whisper barely made a sound. “I can't believe it.”

“What’s that, love?”

“I can’t believe the man I once had feelings for turned out to be such a bastard.” She turned to Sam, shamefaced. “And I can’t even begin to understand the depth of the betrayal you must be feeling.”

“I never knew a person could be capable of inflicting this much pain and heartbreak,” Sam admitted. “I loved him, Buffy. I loved him with all my heart. And Daniel adored his fa – Riley, as well. To find out it was all a manipulative fabrication is soul-shattering.”

“The git fooled a lot of people with his 'I'm just an Iowa farm boy' bullshit,” Spike pointed out, reaching out unconsciously to comfort Sam - then withdrawing his hand before making contact. “It's not your fault he used you for his own purposes.” He sighed, shaking his head. “You're not the first woman he's used poorly, and I doubt you'll be the last.”

Sam wiped a tear from her eye and picked up Daniel, hugging him tightly to her breast. “At least Daniel is too young to understand what happened today. He stands a chance at an unmarked future. The rest of us, on the other hand…”

Giles spoke up from his seat on one of the stuffed chairs. “The weight of Riley’s hatred and scheming will have life-long ramifications.” His expression turned pensive, his head resting on his left hand, glasses askew.

Sam nodded and sank down onto the couch with Daniel in her arms. Spike watched as her eyes clenched shut in an attempt to stem the flow of tears. The woman looked smaller than she had when she'd introduced herself at his crypt; shoulders bowed as if they now bore the weight of the world.

Dawn moved to the floor near Sam's feet, keeping Daniel occupied, as his mo – while Sam regained her composure.

Spike couldn't help himself – he couldn't take his eyes off of Dawn and Daniel. His niblet, the younger sister/daughter of his heart, and his _son_. His very own flesh and blood – a dream given up long ago. Of course, if the bitlet had been his own from the beginning, he'd never have named him something as poncy as _Daniel_ , but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

Besides him, he felt Buffy's eyes darting to Daniel. She kept sneaking glances at the lad, hurriedly turning away each time as if she feared getting caught.

This was a fine pickle they were in. The child was _theirs_ \- his and Buffy's flesh and blood. But, there was also paperwork stating that the boy was legally adopted by Mrs. Cardboard – Sam. And Sam loved the kid; even a blind man could see that. How could they even think about taking the lad from her?

How could they think of leaving the lad with her?

Dawn's voice cut through his deliberations.

“Buffy – if Mom were here, she'd have offered...”

“Oh my god! I'm so sorry, everyone.” Buffy looked horrified. “Is anyone hungry? It's gotta be well past dinnertime.”

“It's nearly 9:00 o'clock, Buffy,” Giles announced. “Why don't we order Chinese food, or pizza? My treat,” he added, much to the Slayer's obvious relief.

“Chinese!” Dawn exclaimed.

Spike shrugged. “I wouldn't say no to an order of Hunan Spicy Beef, if you're offerin', Rupes.”

“Why not? I'm feeling rather benevolent at the moment.” Giles turned to Buffy. “Write down what everyone wants, dear girl, and I'll call the order in.”

“Thanks, Giles... and you too, Dawn, for reminding me.”

Dawn's smile lit up her face.

“I don't want to be too much trouble,” Sam said, to nobody in particular. “I should probably take Daniel back to my hotel room.”

“No!” Buffy exclaimed vehemently. “I mean, you don't have to. We have plenty of room for you and the baby to stay here. At least for a little while. There's... there's so much to talk about...” She faltered there, not saying much but saying everything at the same time.

“We do need to talk,” Spike agreed, watching Sam's face crumple as the weight of that statement sunk in. “But it doesn't all have to be decided tonight.”

Sam nodded silently.

“Oh, that's right!” Dawn exclaimed. “What are we gonna do about...?”

“That's what we'll talk about later, Dawnie,” Buffy said, gently. “Let's just have dinner and a good night's rest before we get into anything heavy.”

~*~

Dinner was over, Dawn was out like a light and Giles had long since gone home. Daniel was asleep in a small nest made of blankets and pillows on the floor in Joyce's old room, along with his... adoptive mother.

Spike, himself, was ensconced in the Summers basement. He'd been halfway out the door when Buffy had called him back and asked if he'd like to stay. Who was he to refuse?

Buffy wasn't quite sleeping. Spike could hear her restlessly tossing and turning in her bed.

After an hour of listening to her muscling her covers about, he heard her footsteps on the stairs. She had presumably settled on the sofa with the telly turned down low so nobody else would hear it. He couldn't blame her – the issue of Daniel had to be uppermost in her mind.

Spike briefly debated staying put, but it was a one-sided and futile battle. Pulling on his shirt, he headed up the stairs.

“Couldn't sleep, pet?” he asked as he settled on the cushion by her feet.

Buffy looked down at him; her eyes looked haunted by the revelations of the past few days.

“So,” Spike asked carefully. “are we gonna talk about the baby elephant in our midst, or watch dull-as-dishwater infomercials?”

Spike heard Sam's footsteps and then her voice sounded from the doorway.“That's a good question.” She joined them in the living room. “I couldn't sleep, either. The baby elephant is on my mind, as well.”

“Fine, then.” Buffy looked grim as she sat up a little straighter. “Let's all put our cards on the table. Daniel is biologically my son. And Spike's,” she added as he cleared his throat loudly.

“And he's _legally_ my son,” Sam said defensively, before she backtracked somewhat and added, “If the adoption papers hold up outside of the Initiative's auspices. I hadn't thought about that until just now.”

“Nobody's disputin' that,” Spike said, not wanting to agitate the woman. “But facts of the matter are, when it comes to the kiddo. When it comes to the kiddo, we're embroiled in a threesome.”

“Whoa, mister,” Buffy interjected. “There will be no three-way of any kind here.”

“Now you _know_ there was no sexual innuendo intended, pet.”

_Not this time!_ Buffy took a deep breath and nodded. “I know, I know. Was just trying to inject some levity into a very unlevitable situation.”

Returning to the topic, she said, “We're just gonna have to go about this in small steps.” Her eyes slid from Sam to Spike. “You know I never expected to have children – especially not _yours_...”

Spike tried to hide the pain that comment caused but clearly she caught something at the look in his eyes because she rushed to add, “I mean, vampires aren't supposed to be able to make babies, what with the undead... stuff and all.”

“Nice save, Summers,” Spike said, his face once more expressionless. “But you're right... fatherhood at this stage of my unlife is a bit of a curve ball.”

Sam let out a strangled cry, hand clasped at her chest. “I don't know what I would do without Daniel,” she gasped. “He might not have been with me long, but...”

“Don't get your knickers in a twist, Mrs. Cardboard,” Spike said, softly. “Nobody's ripping the kid from your arms. At this point, it's not even a consideration, but...”

“Spike's right,” Buffy acknowledged. “If the choice had been left to me, I don't know if I'd ever have opted to become pregnant, but what's done is done, and he is my - _our_ ,” she said, pointing between herself and Spike, “biological son. That means something. What, exactly, I don't know yet, but it's definitely something of consequence.”

Sam eyed the floor and said softly, “It's the consequences that concern me.”

“I think the best thing we can do is start by deciding what's best for Daniel, not for the three of us,” Buffy said. “Everything else will have to be worked around his needs.”

“That I can agree on,” said Sam, nodding her head slowly. “With Daniel's best interests at the heart of things, we're bound to make the best decisions.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Okay, now even you have to admit this is one of the weirdest things you've ever done,” Buffy laughed, enjoying the absurd sight of Spike pushing a baby stroller down the block towards the kiddie playground.

“It is one for the books, I'll give you that,” Spike replied with a small chuckle and a shake of his head. “Here's hopin' the Sunnydale demon population has other things to do tonight, rather than witness this walkabout.”

“And there,” Buffy sighed, “Is one of the problems with us raising Daniel. He'll become a target for anything and everything looking to get at us.”

“While that's true,” Spike agreed, looking fondly down at the boy drinking juice from a turquoise sippy cup, “he's not that much safer bein' raised by Mrs. Finn, what with her ties to the Initiative. You can't tell me they're gonna be happy losin' access to their little gene-pool miracle.”

Buffy stopped in her tracks. “Do you really think they'll continue to come after him?” she asked, biting at her lower lip. “After Riley's arrest, wouldn't they want to disavow themselves of anything to do with the three of us?”

“They feel like a bloody hydra, pet,” Spike swore. “Cut off one head, another two rise up to take its place.”

“Well, the good thing is, if we decide to try and raise Daniel ourselves, we have the strength to protect him as much as possible. Sam's only human, after all. Love doesn't conquer everything.”

“While we're speaking of what-ifs, Slayer... d'you think it's possible to change the niblet's name to something less poncy than Daniel? It just doesn't sit right... having a kid named after Cardboard's family.”

“Agreed. Even Sam looked a little pale when she mentioned Riley naming Daniel after his dad.” Buffy considered a moment, then added, “And I suppose, since we'd be changing his last name, we could legally change his first, as well.”

“You're not gonna want to name him after your poor excuse of a dad, are you?” Spike asked suspiciously. “Anyone who'd walk out on the Summers women has no right to have a legacy like that.”

“I hear ya, Big Bad,” Buffy laughed. “Hank Summers is definitely not namesake material. We could name him after Mom. Indirectly, I mean..., cause who would name a boy 'Joyce'?”

“Or a boy 'Sue'?”

“Huh?”

“Gods, Slayer! Your musical knowledge really is incredibly lacking in depth. Never heard of Johnny Cash and a song called A Boy Named Sue?”

Buffy stared at him, completely nonplussed.

“Gonna have to do something about that, pet. I'm sure your Watcher would agree your lack of proper musical appreciation needs fixin', pronto. Perhaps I'll round up all those boy bands you're so fond of and eat 'em.”

“We don't joke about eating humans around here, William,” Buffy said frostily. “What kind of an example is that for our son?”

A moment passed without a comment from Spike, and Buffy stopped to look at him. He was just standing there, holding onto the stroller with a look of awe on his face.

“Have you gone brain-dead?” she asked, nudging him with a pointy elbow.

“Our son,” he murmured.

“Yeah, what of it?”

“You called the nipper _our son_ without being prompted or getting embarrassed. Just natural-like.”

Buffy felt a little half-smile creep across her face. “I did, didn't I?” she mused. “Well, he is ours, isn't he? I guess it's time we got used to it, no matter what choices we make.”

Spike said nothing, just wheeled the stroller through the park's gate.

“So, what do we do first?” Buffy asked. “Hey, Daniel – what do you want to do? Swings? Sandbox?

“San' box,” Daniel squealed as Spike hauled him out of the stroller. sitting himself down Daniel patted a spot in the soft sand. “Buh-fee play?”

Buffy couldn't stop the giggle. “Spike, too?” she asked, looking at the vampire in question.

“'Pike, too,” Daniel agreed, happily.

Spike removed his duster, draped it over the stroller and joined his little family in the sandbox.

*****

Samantha Finn sat in the Summers' living room, ostensibly playing gin-rummy with Buffy's younger sister, Dawn – but her mind kept wandering to her missing son. She'd agreed to let him go to the park with Buffy and Spike, to allow them to get some sense of what it's like to be around a child – _their child_ , if she was being totally honest with herself.

It just didn't sit comfortably with her. Buffy was the Slayer, and Spike was a vampire; they were not her idea of model childcare. It just wasn't normal. _They_ weren't normal.

Was she insane to allow her heart to go with them?

Was it only a harbinger of things to come? Would she be forced to give up her boy to his biological parents? Would they fight her on custody? Would...

“Are you still with me, Sam?” Dawn asked, putting her handful of cards face-down on the table. “You've been staring out the window for the past five minutes.”

“I-I'm sorry,” Sam said, putting her own cards down and shaking her head. “I'm just worried about Daniel.”

“You don't have to stress about him. Being with Spike and Buffy is about the safest thing in the world,” Dawn claimed. “They're strong on their own, but together, they're downright unbeatable.”

Sam tried to smile. “It's not that – not _only_ that,” she said. “Sure, they're strong enough to protect him – far stronger than I am, but... it takes more than strength to raise a happy, healthy child.”

“Spike's dead!” Sam blurted out. “Or I guess undead is the preferred term. And Buffy herself said she never gave motherhood a thought before we showed up.”

“But Buffy was already a mother,” Dawn reminded her gently. “It's just that she only just found out about it. And it might not have been her first choice - just as becoming my guardian after M-Mom died wasn't her choice. But she's doing a wonderful job of it.” She glared and added quickly, “If you ever tell her I said that, I'll deny it.”

Dawn's expression softened again.“My sister hasn't had a lot of choice in how her life has turned out, not since she was chosen as the Slayer, but she's made the best of everything that's come her way. And if there's one thing she's learned to do – it's take care of people.”

Sam swiped at the tears forming in her eyes before they could fall.

“And don't get me started on Spike,” Dawn continued. “He's a vampire, so he's mostly hard-wired to be evil... _unless_ he cares about you. He may not have a soul, but he loves with his whole, unbeating heart.”

“How is that even possible?” Sam asked. “I mean, I've seen enough of him to know he's different, but different enough to be a parent? What happens when Daniel acts up? When he throws up his lunch all over Spike's coat? How will Spike react to a baby screaming and squalling for hours on end? Daniel taxes me beyond what I can take on occasion - how is a vampire going to be able to handle it?”

Dawn laughed. Actually downright belly-laughed. “My god, Sam. He handled me! When Buffy died, he spent the summer with me when everyone else pretty much avoided me. I screamed and cried for hours at a time. I didn't eat, then I overate. Puked, too... though not on him.

“He never blamed me for her sacrifice; he just cried with me. We mourned together.” Dawn smiled. “He has an unbelievable capacity for love, and more patience than anyone gives him credit for.

“Trust me, he and Buffy together would be wonderful parents.”

This time Sam couldn't hide the tears coursing down her cheeks. “You make them sound like perfect paragons of virtue.”

“Oh, god no,” Dawn exclaimed. “They're not perfect at all. But they love fiercely. They'll screw up, they'll fight, they'll yell. Spike'll curse too much, but he'll try to curtail it. Buffy'll probably storm off on patrol to let off some steam whenever things get a bit 'elevated' at home.

“But the bottom line is, Daniel would be loved and protected by two people who pretty much consider 'love and protect' their raison d'etre.”

Sam put her head in her hands, grief at the thought of her possible loss radiating through her shaking form.

Dawn got up and wrapped her arms around Sam, making shushing sounds. “I'm so sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't a wonderful mother to Daniel. Not in the slightest. I was just -”

“You were just championing your sister and her vampire,” Sam acknowledged. “I understand that, Dawn. This whole thing is just very painful. It's one thing on paper – it's another thing altogether in practice.”


	13. Chapter 13

Daniel's wailing picked up as they slammed open the front door.

“Oh my god,” cried Sam, rushing to Spike who held the crying little boy in his arms. “What happened? Is he hurt?”

Setting the boy down on the kitchen island, Spike turned to grab the first aid kit, leaving her, Buffy couldn't help but notice, to deliver the explanation.

“We'd just taken him off the baby swings,” Buffy explained, “and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he took off running.” She revealed the tear in Daniel's pant leg, soaked around the edges with blood. “He tripped.”

Spike dumped the medical supplies on the counter and held Daniel upright while Buffy pulled his pants down, carefully avoiding aggravating the injury.

“Mommy!” Daniel cried, holding out his arms for Sam's comfort.

“It's okay, sweetheart,” Sam cooed, as she hugged the boy about his chest. “Mommy's here. Want me to kiss the boo-boo and make it better?”

“Just wait a moment, until I can clean the wound,” Buffy insisted. “We need to get the dirt and grass out before it gets infected.” She swabbed the abrasion with an antiseptic wipe. “Huh!” she mused. “I could have sworn this was a lot worse. It's just a scrape.”

“Lotta blood from just a scrape, pet,” Spike agreed.

“Wait a minute,” Sam said, eyes wide with realization. “Both you and Spike heal quicker than ordinary humans, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We do.”

“Then it's a good thing that Riley wasn't around to see this. This is exactly the sort of thing the Initiative was looking for when they cooked up their disgusting scheme in the first place - accelerated healing. It makes me wonder what else Daniel's inherited from the two of you.”

“Time will tell, I guess,” Spike said. “He obviously has no problems bein' out in the sun, so he's one up on me.”

“We'd be more than happy to help you figure out if he has any other abilities,” Buffy offered. “Obviously with nothing official to be reported to anyone – just so you'll know what he's capable of.”

“I think I need to leave,” Sam said abruptly, looking over at Daniel's now bandaged leg. “Let me take him upstairs to get changed, and to collect our things. I need to be able to think, and I can't do that here.”

Buffy nodded mutely; Spike said nothing.

Buffy watched as Sam gathered the little boy into her arms. This was it. Sam was going to take Daniel and head off. The time had come for either her or Spike to say something to the contrary if they were gonna take charge of things... going to be parents.

But the words didn't come and Sam headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs..

“What are we gonna do, Spike,” Buffy whispered once Sam was out of earshot. “Are we gonna let her take our son without a fight?”

“Was waitin' on you, love,” Spike admitted. “What you want is what I want. All I know is I can't possibly take care of the tot on my own. He needs to be able to see sunlight. I mean, I'd do my best, but he needs more than just me.”

“So you really want to do this? Be a parent with me? It's not like we're a love match, in fact, sometimes we're barely capable of getting along.”

“Doesn't mean we can't both love the boy.”

“True,” she was shocked to find herself conceding. “It's getting a bit hard, in light of recent events, to deny your ability to love. And, right now, Daniel is the most important thing.”

Spike thumped his hand on his chest in exaggerated shock.

“Knock it off, asshole,” Buffy laughed quietly. “Love makes for strange bedfellows, and we have to be the strangest bedfellows ever.”

Spike's laughter made her smile.

“Okay, I'm game if you are,” Buffy said decisively. “Now the trick will be getting Sam to work with us. It won't be easy; you know how she loves him.”

“No use in borrowing trouble, love. Let's see what happens when she gets downstairs.”

~*~

Sam couldn't help herself; she crept down several stairs and listened to Buffy and Spike. Just five minutes earlier it had been so simple. Take Daniel, get reassigned somewhere far from Sunnydale and the hell it had inflicted on her life and be done with it.

Yeah, she'd feel bad, knowing she was keeping Daniel all to herself, but she'd manage.

Or she'd thought she would.

But she hadn't been brought up to be that selfish.

And Buffy and Spike's words had touched her heart. “Right now, Daniel is the most important thing” reverberated through her brain.

She'd sat with these people in good faith; they'd made lists with Daniel's best interests in mind, and yet here she was – getting ready to disregard everything in favor of her desires.

Sam sat down hard on the stairs, and came to a hard decision. She was leaving.

Daniel was not.

~*~

They'd been waiting in the kitchen for Sam and Daniel's reappearance for the past twenty minutes, tense but determined. Hearing Sam's footsteps on the stairs, Buffy grasped Spike's hand in hers and took a deep breath... that was released unexpectedly when the woman appeared in front of them.

Clearly ready to go. And without Daniel.

“I-I thought...” Buffy began, stumbling over her words.

“Where's the bitlet?” Spike asked.

“Daniel is upstairs, asleep. It seems as if his little incident in the park wore him out,” Sam said tautly, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I, on the other hand, am leaving.”

“What?” Buffy was confused. She'd been gathering the strength for a confrontation with Sam, but suddenly the wind was knocked from her sails.

“I'm sorry, but I eavesdropped on your conversation,” Sam said. “And you were right, Buffy. We'd discussed this earlier, and I almost forgot – Daniel is the most important thing. Not my desire to keep mothering him.”

Buffy looked at Spike for a reaction, but he said nothing. He looked as if words were beyond him for the moment.

“How are we going to explain things to him?” Buffy asked. “You can't just leave.”

“I wasn't planning on it,” Sam insisted. “I'll tell him that I have to go away for now, and that he has a new Mommy and Daddy. He'll be confused, but he's young – he'll catch on. He already trusts you both.”

“Don't want to cause trouble here,” Spike said, finally finding his voice. “But if we decide to change the lad's name, would that be a deal-breaker?”

Sam shook her head. “There's no reason a son of yours should be named after my father, I suppose. I'll have the military come up with a proper birth certificate for him, once you decide on a new name.”

Buffy ran her fingers through her hair nervously. “But what about you?” she asked. “How can you just walk out on him?”

“I was hoping that you'd be willing to let me be some small part of Daniel's life,” Sam said, eyes downcast. “I could be an auntie... once enough time has passed.”

“I'm sure that would be fine. Wouldn't it, Spike?” Buffy asked, looking to her vampire. “We could send you pictures, invite you to special events if your schedule allows. We never wanted to rip him from your life.”

Sam nodded. “I know that, and that's part of why I'm able to leave him with you. You already care for him, and I'm sure, in time, you'll love him as dearly as I do. He's a special child, Buffy. He's all heart.”

Buffy smiled. “I think that's inherited from his father,” she said, turning her smile toward Spike... and realizing in that moment, that letting her son into her heart seemed to have opened the pathway to thinking about Spike in a softer way.


	14. Chapter 14

One Year Later

Buffy leaned back against the door and watched as her family cavorted on the floor. Spike was on all fours, their son astride his back, yelling “Giddyup!” at the top of his lungs as his legs pounded Spike's flanks to make him run faster.

She couldn't help but smile fondly at the image they made. That's right – fondness. Spike-related fondness. Over the course of the past year – in addition to the usual Spike-specific vampire tinglies – she'd begun to have warm fuzzies whenever he was around.

Dawn kept teasing her; asking when they were gonna get married and make an honest child out of Josh. However, since (thanks to the legal wrangling of Sam and the military) Josh's name was already registered legally as Joshua Daniel Summers-Pratt, Buffy couldn't help but suspect that the teasing was mostly about _her sister's_ desire for yet more family ties.

Because, additional bonus, as a favor to the ex-Mrs. Finn: the military had managed to come up with adoption papers for Dawn, as well as Josh. Her full legal name was now Dawn Eden Summers-Pratt, and she was still walking around with her head in the clouds over that one.

There was no way Buffy was going to let Social Services threaten to tear her family asunder again.

Buffy laughed as the game of horsie devolved into Spike and Dawn convening over Josh – taking turns blowing raspberries on his belly. The boy's exuberant giggles warmed Buffy's heart as nothing else could. She had thought she already understood her capacity for love; she loved her sister beyond reason, but what she felt for Joshua outstripped even that.

Surveying the now happy scene, she couldn't help but remember how fiercely she and Spike had been tested about six months earlier. Sam had been transferred to the north island of New Zealand – a minor Hellmouth was in the process of opening up at Mount Ruapehu, and Sam's company had been assigned to keep the human population safe.

The dregs of the Initiative had taken the opportunity, while Sam was absent, to attempt to regain custody of her child. They'd managed to subdue Spike – holding him hostage against the return of the boy. And Buffy had watched as Sergeant Major Oswald Griffith III held a wooden stake to her vampire's heart – clearly intending to drive it home if she refused to part with their son.

Spike's fierce '“You keep that boy safe no matter what”' still reverberated in her head all these months later. By the grace of the Powers that Constantly Meddled in Their Lives, Willow and Tara had returned home just in time to cast a disabling spell, allowing Buffy to rescue Spike and boot the military's sorry asses out of her home and off their property.

Since then, barrier protection spells had been erected, and were renewed monthly.

Extra insurance was provided by a little bit of good old blackmail. Willow's hacking had uncovered a handful of women who'd been impregnated with Joshua's potential 'siblings'. Buffy's threat to bring it all out in the open had effectively stymied the enemy; there would be no more flack from the Initiative.

Buffy was startled out of her contemplation of the past by a wad of little boy's socks smacking her in the face, followed by the sound of hysterical giggles.

“Ewww!” She held up the offensive items. “Whose stinky socks are these?”

“My socks!” Joshua crowed proudly. “Gotcha, Mommy!”

“Yes you did, my little hellbeast!” Buffy laughed. “I'm sure your Daddy and Aunt Dawn had nothing to do with it.”

“Daddy said 'throw', and Auntie Dawn said 'at Mommy's face'.” Josh got up and hugged Buffy around the knees. “I did good!” he insisted.

“Bitlet's got your arm, love,” Spike said, the expression on his face soft and open. “Like to see what he'll be like when he's old enough to play cricket, or even baseball, bein' that this country's so in love with the sport.”

“Joshua Summers-Pratt – Superstar,” Dawn added, her pride in her nephew evident. “As long as he's not _too_ good. It wouldn't do to have him breaking all the records and drawing that much attention to himself.”

“Time will tell, Dawn,” Buffy said, her own pride evident. “When he's old enough to understand, we'll help him to hold back a bit if necessary. We don't need him to be everyone's superstar – he's already ours.” She watched as JD (as Dawn tended to call the boy, much to Spike's chagrin) turned his attention on his father - pelting him in turn with his socks, a stray ball, and a discarded magazine. Buffy knew she should curtail Josh's tendency to fling whatever objects were at hand, but he was so happy and she wasn't willing to restrain him just yet.

Of course, that would have to change before he started preschool. She could see the letters home, now: _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Summers-Pratt, Please be advised that Joshua tossed his buddy across the room today. Luckily he landed in our pillowed nap-time area, so nobody was hurt. Please impress upon your child that the throwing of other children is not acceptable behavior in Little Humans Pre-School_.

Wait a minute...

“Holy crap!” Buffy murmured.

“Wassat, love?” Spike asked, because of course, he'd heard her.

“N-nothing,” she stammered, her cheeks flaming pink. _Oh. My. God! Had she really just referred to herself and Spike as Mr. and Mrs?_

No-longer-Denial-Buffy had no choice but to admit that she had, indeed, coupled them in her head. For all intents and purposes, they _were_ married. They lived together and they had a child together. Spike was listed on Josh's birth certificate as his father, and Dawn was legally his daughter.

The only thing they weren't doing was sleeping together. And in the interests of perfect honesty, Buffy had to admit she really, _really_ missed having sex with Spike. The man was nothing if not inventive to put it mildly. What she _didn't_ miss was the hate and self-loathing that had accompanied their previous sexual activities... things would have to be totally different this time.

Things were _already_ different.

If Spike still wanted to... if he still loved her.

Who the hell was she kidding? Every now and then when he thought she wasn't looking, Buffy caught his eyes moving over her, and she could almost feel the scorch marks his looks left on her body. This time, she knew. She _KNEW_ that Spike loved her. She knew it to the very core of her soul.

The question before the jury was – as always – did she love him back? The way he deserved to be loved?

That was the $64,000 question, wasn't it? Okay, list time:

One: Buffy definitely had feelings for Spike. Warm, fuzzy, didn't want to live without him (or Dawn and Josh, of course) feelings.

Two: He was as much family to her as any of the Scoobies.

Three: Although she most assuredly did NOT want to sleep with any of the Scoobies.

Four: She... she... well, fuck it! Buffy Summer was in love with William 'Spike' Pratt.

Now all she had to do was tell the vampire in question, and see if he was willing to put her out of her misery by making an honest woman out of her.

Action-Buffy to the rescue.

“Dawn,” she called out, disrupting the latest bit of horseplay. Would you mind taking Josh upstairs? See if you can calm him down a bit with a story?”

“Spoilsport,” Dawn retorted, sticking her tongue out like a five year old. “Fine, come on, JD. Let's go upstairs and Auntie Dawn will tell you a story about vampires and slayers.”

Josh kissed Spike on the cheek, before happily following Dawn up the stairs.

Ever the astute one, Spike had obviously cottoned on to the fact that she was up to something.

“So, what's going on here, petal?” he asked, his voice dropping down into that deep, dark chocolatey-caramel tone that always inflamed her insides.

“Do I have to have an ulterior motive for wanting to spend a little alone time with my favorite vampire?” she asked, coyly, batting her eyelashes.

“Kitty wants to play?” Spike purred, stalking towards her like a pale panther.

“She might,” Buffy admitted, meeting him in the middle of the living room. “Wanna guess the game?” she practically purred back at him.

Spike took a step back, obviously unsure as to what she was up to. “Think you're gonna have to make the rules a mite clearer here, Slayer. Don't wanna incur a penalty for cocking things up yet again.”

“Tell me you love me,” she repeated a phrase she'd used once before.

He shot her a disbelieving look, as if he knew exactly the response she was looking for. When Buffy remained silent, her own eyebrow rising in challenge, Spike swallowed hard and took the bait.

“I love you – you know I do. Point of fact...”

“I love you, too,” Buffy said, before he could finish the sentence.

The look of completely unadulterated awe in Spike's eyes would remain with her for the rest of her days.

Finis


End file.
